The Gas Lit Future

Further thoughts on my plans for 2016. First, I need to find a better way to balance multiple projects at once. Maybe assign certain days of the week for each one? This is the schedule I just wrote for myself:

Submit Resurrected Thief to agents
Reformat the prequel serial for Esther
Finish The Ghost Circus
Write more of Bryan in Denmark
Start The Unbound Specter
Introduce Violet, the twins, and the Irish changeling to the short fiction
Cases with James and Esther
Does Thomas need a backstory?
--Spend some time on Our Fathers and Epic Fantasy

So what does all that mean?

The first should be obvious. Since most of the submission process involves waiting for an answer, that won't be too hard.

Esther's origin started as a jumble of short stories, but has worked its way into a great idea for serial fiction. The trick is finding someone who agrees and wants to publish it that way. I have a suspicion it might be easier with the rising popularity of the serial format. I just may end up self publishing them through something like Patreon or Kindle.

Since novellas are still popular, I want to seize on that trend and finish up The Ghost Circus. It's about halfway finished. But that schedule is also dependent on when the publisher I want opens its doors for novellas again.

At the same time, I want to start writing more than the prologue to the second book. If I manage to snag an agent or publisher, I want to provide them with a sequel soon instead of waiting until I finish a bunch of jumbled shorts. It's fully outlined, so may prove to be a fast write.

I also have plenty of ideas for other mysteries with the Hawke men, but don't know how much of a priority that should be in comparison to writing novels. Right now, the Muse says hold onto them to provide filler between the larger books. We have to keep producing a steady stream of fiction!

More books obviously mean more characters. Violet, the twins, and the Irish changeling are ones I've started to dabble with already. It could lead to a string of short stories or novellas. I have no idea yet.

Similarly, I don't know how much writing should be dedicated to Thomas. I had intended him to be a man without a complicated history. Esther and Bryan are supposed to lead him into all the adventures. But I don't want him to be a neglected character. Who knows what will happen on that front. The Muse is silent, despite Thomas being one of her favorite characters.

Finally, I should probably spend some time with my Non-Gaslight projects. Again, submissions for Our Fathers should be fairly simple. I want to return to epic fantasy so I'm not limiting myself to murder taking place in the 1880s. Unless the Muse comes up with something other than a vague two sentence idea, or lets me write everything else quickly, this is how 2016 will be playing out.