Day 32 - I'm changing direction

Well, it happened.

I had an idea. I'd started working on that idea, created some characters, got down some plot points.

Then, I get another idea.

This idea looks new and shiny.

I'm quite excited about this idea.

I abandon the old idea.

Luckily though, I'm still in the early stages of 'The Peninsula' . It would be more of a problem if I had got a shiny new idea in the middle of the journey. But, because it's the beginning I don't feel so bad about changing direction.

To be honest, I was never that excited about 'The Peninsula'. I could see a story forming, could even imagine writing some of the scenes, but the story didn't grab me and get those creative juices bubbling. Now, I'm not someone that is a hardline believer in the "you've got to feel it to write it" approach. Sometimes you've just got to punch something out and pay the bills (one day Jared, one day). But, it definitely helps to have some excitement about a story, particularly if you are going to be spending a significant portion of your week with it.

Part of the blame lies with reading. I was reading some books over the weekend, and they got me thinking. They were really good books about the business of being an 'indie' author (and I mean 'self-published' when I use that term) and how you can actually make a living out of this passion.

I highly recommend the books if you're interested in the nitty-gritty and numbers of actually making some money:

• Become a successful indie author - Craig Martelle

• Six figure author - using data to sell books - Chris Fox

So, I was reading and I started thinking about what would I need to do to actually start making money, and not money in two or three or five or ten years when someone finally signs a contract with me, but maybe in 3 months or 6 or 12. To do this, it looks like you need to really pump out a new novel quite regularly, and it should ideally be part of a series.

Then I began thinking some more, and started crunching some numbers, and wondered to myself what story could I tell with relatively short books (80,000 words or so) that I could write relatively quickly.

And my shiny new idea was born.

I've discussed it with 'She Who Shall Not Be Named' and she thinks it's good. I needed to check in because I am prone to dropping projects and wanting to start something new. She has given her stamp of approval. That's not to say 'The Peninsula' won't be written, but it won't be the main focus of the journey.

So, here we are. A new direction, a new idea. Watch this space for more details. I've already started fleshing out the plot and have even put down 1,510 words! Which is pretty awesome.

Till next time,

J.