Let’s talk about writing projects.

No amateur writer worth their weight in keyboard types wouldn’t be where they are now without a long list of projects they are either, a) currently working on, or b) wish they were working on. Most of the time, many projects fall into the latter category because who has the time to work on everything they want to?

Seriously. No joke. Who are these people?

Actually, that answer isn’t hard. I know how they do it. They sit at their desk or their couch or kitchen table and put fingers to keys, banging out words to the sounds of café music playlists on Spotify while whispering to themselves, “This is brilliant stuff and everyone who reads it will be all the better for it.”

But we know. That’s not how it really goes. We have spouses and children and jobs that actually pay currency. Sometimes it’s hard to get to everything you want to do.

Anyway, let’s talk about where I’m at in a weekly series beginning……..now:

Project: NESS, Middle-Grade contemporary fantasy

This is the main project, the one at the top of the queue. In my head this is the most important project I’ve written, something nesting in that perfect middle section between “Deeply Personal” and “Highly Marketable.”

I have high hopes for it, which I think is why I’ve taken so long to finish it. Anytime I sensed it wasn’t going how I envisioned it in my head, I fell off the train, rolled down into a ravine, then had to wait another week or more before I got back to writing.

Originally, I wanted to finish it up back in June. Now that I’ve redirected my focus and passion back into writing it should be done by the end of this month. About 23,000 words in of a predicted 40,000 word goal. Added another 2,200 words at the time of publishing.

Project: BIANCA, Middle-Grade contemporary fantasy | DEED, Middle-Grade realistic fiction

I’m grouping these together because they’re both sitting in the same boat. Both are novels I started one to two years ago. Both hit about 20,000 words, then I completely stopped writing. One because I thought I wasn’t the person to write it, the other because I became too scared.

Sensing a theme?

Both, like NESS, are deeply personal and I feel have the potential for high marketability within the publishing world, but BIANCA would be a series while DEED is a standalone book.

Is that what agents want? Especially from a first time writer? An untested person who may or may not be able to carry a series?

I haven’t decided which to focus my efforts on once I finish up NESS. I’ll have to do some more thinking these next two weeks. No new words added this week.

Project: UNO, fantasy short story

This one just popped up the other week, a collaborative project which I’ll talk more about when the time comes.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a short story, having already submitted a few to publication for consideration (with none being published, but that’s okay, it’s all part of the process), but I liked the idea behind this one and the essence of the collaboration, so, we’ll see where it goes. Shooting for somewhere between four to six thousand words.

Currently in the plotting phase, using Dan Harmon’s Story Circle (which I’ll talk about more on Friday.)

And that’s it. Project Update complete! You can always find me here, churning out whatever nonsense I feel is relevant, or over at GeorgeTakei.com, where I routinely build articles regarding humanity’s best and worst aspects.

See you Friday.

Thanks for reading,

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Contact: robertmichaelacosta@gmail.com