Looking back before looking forward

There’s always a moment as I finish a book where I look ahead to what’s next. Occasionally, I don’t have a fully formed idea, or I have too many, at which point I stop to look over everything I've ever written.

Some time ago, my first two books were remaindered, i.e., delisted. They’d fallen into the irrelevant category and being my first two books, showed dreadful growing pains. After 20 years, I’ve actually learned how to put two sentences together! I’m very proud of how far I’ve come in nearly 20 years at this job. Having recently completed a novella (more news will be forthcoming about LANDSLIDE), it was time to consider what comes next. The state of the world being what it is, I’ve been fairly overwhelmed, so I picked up book #1 to see if it was worth a reissue. Reading my first, unpolished story was difficult, and I decided it had had its day and it was time to move forward. 

Another thought was picking up a story I’d tucked away in a drawer. I didn’t feel it was strong enough when I’d originally finished the first draft. I have a writer friend who keeps encouraging me to resurrect it, and looking it over, it isn’t half bad! EPITAPH suffered that same fate for several years until I found the right path forward.

I'd also considered another Northwest Suburbs story.  And there’s the new series, Hillendale. A case of too many ideas.

Looking back at the old books reminds me that in writing, as in life, I should keep moving forward.