by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
So, I’ve reaffirmed to myself that I’m going to write six novels within the same universe in an open ended manner so it could be the basis of a continuing series of novels. I now have to begin working on the second novel, set in the summer of 1995.
It’s a lot of fund and huge challenge. I pretty sure things will move a lot — a lot — faster with this second novel because I know how *I* develop and write a novel. But there is the challenge of fleshing out a plot which currently consists of the longline, “A baby is abducted under mysterious circumstances.” That’s it. That’s pretty much all I know about this second novel at this point.
But, just like the first novel, I think a combination of doing a lot, A LOT, of thinking and occasionally paying someone to ask me questions about the plot will ultimately allow me to figure out how to populate a novel of 100,000 words with plot and characters that people will want to hang out with.
It’s times like these when I wish I was writing screenplays not novels, because I could probably knock out three or four screenplays in quick succession if I knew as much about writing screenplays and I currently do about writing novels. In fact, if I manage to sell my first novel, I may try to build a side hustle as a manuscript consultant.
Though, I am so brutal with my own writing, I’m afraid I would hurt people’s feelings should they come to me looking for advice.
Anyway, I have a few scifi novels rolling around in my mind, but I’m just not prepared to get too far away from the universe of this thriller series I’m working on. But, if nothing else, I’m overwhelmed with creative needs, which is exactly what I wanted when I started this project several years ago.
All of my excess mental energy is now devoted to working on fleshing out the plots of six novels of about 100,000 words. But I have to hurry up. I can’t wait years and years to get this done. I need to query the first novel in fall 2023 and try to sell it as soon as possible.
I know I’ve come up with something pretty cool and not only am I not going to embarrass myself, I’m pretty sure I can even sell the first novel in this universe in less than, say….a year? Maybe. I don’t know.
All I know is I have to stop being wifully delusional. I have to start thinking about these novels in the context of the market and actually selling them to a publishing house.
Wish me luck.
