Where Do We Go Now?
When I was in theater, I always needed a Plan B. Now that I’m writing, Plan C, D, and even E get a fair amount of mileage. Things change quickly and you need to adjust along with them.
Last October, I was in Plan A, sending queries out to several agents about one novel, sent the full MS of another novel to a publisher—who I thought would reject it because it was too long—and polished the pitch for the opening novel of a PI series. That pitch would go to an agent at Crime Bake in mid-November. It went well and the agent told me to send three chapters. I returned home Sunday night with everything under control.
Monday, Plan A went south. The publisher accepted the novel—but needed me to cut 5000 words, which shifted me to Plan B. Tuesday, I learned that I’d won a prize—and summer publication—for a novella that I entered in a contest the previous March. Since the novella features the cast from the unsold PI series, pushing that immediately became Plan C.
I have a sequel to the PI novel in a messy draft and two more books in solid outlines, but I can’t do anything with them until Book One finds a home somewhere and I know what needs to change. That’s why the writing gods created the flash drive.
I sent out ten queries on that novel last week, and Plan D involves waiting for something to happen. That means doing NOTHING for a minimum of two months. Yeah, right. Enter Plan E.
When you write, never throw ANYTHING away. There’s always a character, a plot twist, a line of dialogue, or an evocative description you can recycle. The soon-to-be published stand-alone needs a sequel and the Idea Store, AKA those wonderful flash drives, is always open.
Among the wreckage, I have a novel with the same general tone and similar characters. If I change one character’s back story and cut a subplot, maybe it can become that sequel. I’m writing myself revision notes and finding the problems that need the most attention.
Plan F involves a completely new book with those same sold characters. My daughter, who is also my web designer and a writer herself, dropped an idea in my lap last week. The more I play with it, the more it reveals itself as a Truly Beautiful Plan F, great eyes, great smile, singing to me like the Sirens with a pitcher of old-fashioneds on the rocks.
Unfortunately, the setting and premise are a completely foreign world to me, and I hate research. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve taught English and directed twenty plays—six of them Shakespeare—so I know how to use the library and the Internet. But I’m a knowledge junkie. One piece of cool trivia can send me off on tangents and suddenly I’m hitting the back arrow and closing websites and wondering how I left the object of my original quest behind two hours ago.
But there’s good news, too. I know someone from theater who travels in this foreign land and can introduce me to other experts. So can my daughter. I love interviewing people and this topic means lots of cool details that might build into a plot faster than ants raid a picnic.
So I’m starting to come up with questions to ask when I interview people. While I’m doing that, I can still work on Plan E, the rewrite, too. New is always exciting because until you start, the possibilities are unlimited. On the other hand, old friends are good to have in your corner, too.
And who knows? Maybe one of those agents will get back to me and say “I LOVE this series,” the one with a sequel on paper and two more in outline. If not, there are the four short stories in various rewrites, too.
Oh, remember that novel I sent queries about in October? Right now, I’m still waiting for 13 responses.
So much for Plan A.
C.J. Ellisson
Gregory Marshall Smith
David Sartof
Anastasia V. Pergakis
James Garcia Jr.
George Allwynn
Sharon Hamilton
J.D. Brown
C.J. Ellisson lives near Washington DC with her husband, two children, two Staffordshire bull terriers and a young cat to whom she’s newly allergic. 
After spending most of her working life associated with real estate, she’s now pursuing a new passion of fiction writing. Her Erotic Urban Fantasy series stars a smart, strong, and slightly sarcastic female vampire running a resort for the undead in Alaska.
J.D. Brown lives with her two Pomeranians on the border between Wisconsin and Illinois. She enjoys the best of both worlds: peaceful country side and neurotic city life. J.D. began writing for publication in 2009, when she started her first Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Thriller series, Dark Heirloom. She fell in love with the craft and her writing became a wicked hot obsession.
Gregory Marshall Smith, born in Somerville, Massachusetts and raised in historic Medford, is a jack-of-all-trades. 
Anastasia V. Pergakis is a high fantasy author, mostly. She also writes Sci-Fi, Urban fantasy, and mystery novels. Her main novel, The Faery’s Tale Saga is a four part series, a high fantasy mixed with action/adventure and romance. She also writes dark poetry and the occasional twisted or humorous short story. Besides writing, Anastasia also loves reviewing/editing, cover art design, and web design. 
The eccentric George Allwynn not only pens GLBT romantic suspense, but at times, has been caught sneaking in some paranormal, humor and (gasp!) erotica. 
Sharon Hamilton loves all things paranormal: angels, vampires, a witch or two, and even some hybrid beings who don’t know what they are. 
David Sartof has a PhD in management philosophy, has served in the Merchant Marine and as an Officer in the UK’s Royal Air Force. In addition, he spent most of the first decade of the 21st century developing businesses as an entrepreneur. 
David is the author of River of Judgement, a crime novel set in the City of London during the start of banking crisis of the late-noughties.
James Garcia Jr.began writing when he discovered horror novels in junior high. Later, he set aside his dream of being a writer while he and his wife started their family. 
WOW! You’re having quite a week. Congrats!!
I’m impressed all over again, Steve. Sure, your nerves might be a little crazed from the waiting game but you seem to have every base covered and then some.
Say, Steve, think you have time to work on the Health Care Reform plan? It sounds like it’s right up your alley and should be on Plan F by now.
Wow, you give new meaning to the word recycle. After reading this, it suddenly hit me how many of my old ideas sitting in old files could be sequels for my book series.
And, again, I’m impressed by all that you’ve done. I didn’t know you’d directed so many plays (and, egad, six Shakespeare plays? which ones, by the way).
Good luck with everything.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go buy some flash drives.
Much Ado About Nothing set after the Spanish Civil War so I could use Duke Ellington music and a tango; Midsummer Night’s Dream, comtemporary with a circus for the woods (I had a Puck who rode a unicycle and juggled); Twelfth Night as a western so we could include a saloon fight with a break-away hitching post; The Comedy of Errors in the 1950s to stress the paranoia; The Winter’s Tale in a sort of Errol Flynn swashbuckling non-era; and The Merchant of Venice in Roaring 20′s America because I wanted to use the Jewish Gershwin’s music as a comment. I’ve always wanted to direct King Lear on a bare stage except for three platform levels leading to a monolith, but I don’t think the play is castable. The Health Care Plan is Plan H.Let meget back to you. And another novel is the Amazon entry. Arencha sorry you asked?
Steve