Talking with John Van Stry last night about writing, and finishing stories, with my having just finished (for the second time? The missing chapter turned into the missing 4 chapters) the latest story. He grinned. “The silence in my head where the story was is kinda nice! But it won’t last.”
(John just got his latest out the door a week ago, cover and published and everything: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B55DH116/
The one of his I’m really looking forward to I can officially say it now, because it was out at the LibertyCon road show: he’s switching genres again, to hard scifi, and that story is going to be coming out with Baen. The cover art looks fun, and sells the story he was plotting out at us occasionally over dinner! )
My Calmer Half is more the type of writer who always has 5 or 6 stories kind of simmering in the back of his head, so he tries to be sympathetic to the absence of story in my head. Sometimes, though, I think he views it like an injury, losing the stories.
Me, I think of it as a rare glimpse at normality. Or as close as I’m going to get. To be briefly enjoyed before my brain starts slipping into story mode again.
How about you?
Mad Genius Club 
please enjoy the silence but since I like your books , selfishly, I hope you don’t normal too long.
The good news is, I got the first set of feedback already, and the only thing flagged were a few wording bits, and “Yes, you got the radiation right this time, and I like the ending”. Which, from that reader, is high praise indeed. So, just a little more feedback, and I’ll be wrangling with the cover artist (she’s already sent two images as background), and then you’ll hopefully enjoy this one!
Yes. It’s a nice respite, although I sometimes think it’s all the stories in the back brain playing poker. Winner gets his or her story written next. At least they’re quiet about it.
My stories all hang out together and each idea pushes me to write it, and often simultaneously with others,
I make a habit of never finishing a work with putting in some wordage on another the same day.
Congratulations on the book.
One thing, I’m having trouble loading the Amazon link. Not sure if I’m just having connection problems or not, though?
It loaded on the computer I used and on the cell phone, but I have changed the URL from the /dp/ to /gp/ to see if that works better. (It really shouldn’t matter.)
Thank you. I’m seeing it now.
When I think I’m out of stories, I read and wait. Something will bubble up to the surface, or march in, or in one case appear in my back seat*, and demand to be written.
*That was the closest I’ve come to experiences like Sarah Hoyt has, and I’d just as soon NEVER have a character appear like that ever again, thank you.
I can’t manage to hole a book-sized plot in my head. But I do have big chunks of about 4-5 stories floating to the surface demanding to be thought about. Sometimes that even results in them being improved, but I have trouble remembering the improvements when it’s time to sit down and write.
hole=hold.
If only it could be quiet in here. 😡
The stories just play. If I write them down they play once. If I don’t, they play on a loop. Writing is better.
Funny that you posted this yesterday. Just today, I got around to fixing a problem that one of my pre-alpha readers found wit my WIP, and ended up with a title and plot bunny for a short story in the process. :-0
Hope they are for the same story
Yes, they are. It’s a romance story set between ‘Texas at the Coronation’ and the current WIP. This is going to be interesting, because I haven’t read any romance stories other than Dorothy Grant’s ‘tactical romance’ series. 🙂