I too should be writing …

I’m really getting the itch to be writing again. I keep booking it in, but then I keep running out of time.

I have clients that all have deadlines. And I manage to meet all of their deadlines. To the extent that the work keeps on rolling in – but I’m not complaining about that. I’m complaining about my own inability to adhere bum to seat.

There are so many projects I could be working on.

There’s the sequel to Night Crawler, The Beast Within. I’ve already done so much planning, and a lot of the leg work is already there in the first book.

There’s my first pocket novel, The Fool. I was writing that one by the seat of my pants.

There’s the prequel to Night Crawler, Catch the Rainbow. I have a full draft of that, but editing stalled when the inquest happened and most of my “what-if”s became real scenarios.

There’s the steampunk I did the first time I “won” NaNoWriMo, Mardi Gras. I have a full draft of that one awaiting editing.

There are two writing books almost done. Diary of a Pussycat is being edited and having some up-to-date exercises added. And 52 Books in 52 Weeks only needs 5 more books adding before that one can be edited.

Then there is all the new stuff swirling around my head, like the York historical – or should that be the Eboracum/Eoforwic/Jorvik historical? Like the DI Wordsworth collaboration with the poet. And like the one about the stud farm, Whitehorse Farm, that already has a cover.

And then there are all the short stories I have outlined or written to drafts 1 and 2. It’s the first typed drafts I’m falling down on there. (Yes, I still outline and draft in longhand.)

Camp NaNoWriMo starts next Wednesday. I was seriously considering that, but I want to at least have (a) a firm project decided, and (b) something outlined so I can just write.

The poet would like me to finish Catch the Rainbow before starting something new. But the truth is, only the York story is new. Everything else is either already started or already in the planning stage.

At least The Life of Richard Cadbury is in production. I sent my page proofs back to the editor a couple of weeks ago and my next job on that will be the indexing.

I have some serious navel-gazing to do between now and next Wednesday. But I really, really want to be writing by then.

Oh yes, and I have two client novels on my desk to proofread and finish editing first. One is 83,000 words, the other is 104,000 words.

Hey-ho.