A couple of days ago, I wrote about getting back into the writing swing of things and adding a few paragraphs to a novel I want to write—a sequel to my book ICQ. It’s kind of funny because when I went to save what I’d written, I started looking for a place to put it and discovered that I had already put something together, probably earlier this year. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that I had already captured some ideas, but it also shows just how much is going on in my life lately that I couldn’t even remember starting it.
I told my wife that my creative juices were flowing and that I hoped I could keep writing and build on that chapter. I also have another book in progress—one that tells the story of a different character whose timeline runs parallel to the plot of ICQ. That one is a little further along, and if I can find the motivation to keep writing, I should eventually have three books to complete the series.
That was never the original plan, to be honest. I never really thought I’d go back to ICQ, though several people who’ve read it have told me that the ending left them craving a continuation because they wanted to see what happened next. Just a few weeks ago, I met someone who mentioned they’d read the book, and while we were hanging out waiting for his ride, he said he really wanted to know what came next. He asked me a ton of questions about the characters and about my other book, The Big Score. You could tell he wasn’t just being polite—he was genuinely curious and wanted to know the “behind-the-scenes” details of how I wrote it.
If you’ve been following my recent posts, you know that work has been keeping me incredibly busy. By the time I clock out, I feel my creative energy is completely drained. I’m so mentally exhausted that I can’t think about writing anything other than these posts—which come more naturally because they’re mostly stream-of-consciousness. Still, I’m a bit bummed that I haven’t been able to work on my books more often.
So I’ve decided: I need to make time to write, even if it’s only a few words every night. I’m making a commitment—mostly to myself—that every night, come hell or high water, I’ll sit down for at least 30 minutes and write something to keep the sequel moving forward.
Tonight, I’ll put my headphones on and the right music queued up to help me travel back to 1998—the world where this story takes place—and fully immerse myself in it.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash