Shifts in Priority

So many writers I know suffer from writer’s block. It appears I have the exact opposite problem. I haven’t had a lack of projects since 2005. It was almost as if when I sold my first novel, Left Horse Black, to a traditional publisher – the dam sprung a leak. The leak turned into a torrent and the dam finally broke. Now, I am swimming in ideas and projects and constantly have several books going at the same time. I’m also generally scheduled out years in advance. When this happens, I tend to work on the projects I’m most inspired to work on first.

The problem with this is this: Sometimes you discover that a certain project you put on the back burner is actually more of a priority than the one you’re working on. It’s more *needed* or *wanted* by readers.

My project priorities also change based the proposed monetary value of the project, which does trump inspiration because, quite frankly, a girl has to eat.  Without the income from the higher paying titles – the lesser paying titles just can’t happen. Not at the speed most readers demand.

And this is why certain books may take longer to produce than others. I may want to work on Daemonolatry books exclusively, however – they don’t help pay the bills nearly as much as my Anne O’Connell titles.

I may want to work on limited edition hardcovers, but my readers may be pointing out a need for a different book first and foremost. This means the schedule shuffles and some projects really do sit on the back burner. The Official Melissa titles Grimoirium Daemonolatrie and Journals of Richard Dukanté are two that are currently on the back burner for the foreseeable future. DOM359, Black Lily, and Her Daemon Wedding are my fiction priorities (in that order) right now. These titles trump Ascending Darkness, Thirteen Covens, and Eagle’s Talon Gray no matter how badly I feel inspired by these books or have the urge to work on them. They just don’t generate enough money to justify a priority shift at the moment. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t work on non-priority titles in pinch if the inspiration strikes. It simply means I won’t shift all of my attention to that book until the priority projects are off my plate.

On the Daemonolatry side of things, Sacrae Infernales (because it’s contracted), some chapbooks (because they’re needed), and Wortcunning for Daemonolatry are the next highest priority (in this order).

I’m learning quickly that keeping the part-time-day job, while still essential for health insurance, isn’t affording me enough writing time. It also doesn’t help that the last two months of the year really are my crazy season when it comes to household chores, family and friend gatherings, and other obligations that sometimes trump writing due to my own guilt for spending so many hours in front of the computer.

In other news, five of the twenty-four blog posts for 2014 are written. I’m almost finished through March. I am going to start streamlining the schedule so I can get more done. That does mean I might disappear offline for awhile (unless I’m marketing – a necessary evil). So if I don’t answer your PM’s or emails right away, or you get a response from my assistant Frank (now you know why I need him), please know that I’m just busy right now getting my crap together for 2014.  

Do I still love my job? You bet I do! I’m still just as thankful and excited to be able to make a living doing what I love to do as I was in 2011 when Anne and her books first made it possible!

I also want to thank all of you – my readers – for your patience and support! You guys rock!