Wednesday Wanderings

I know it's been radio silence on this blog for a while.  It's been a crazy few months.  I've been studying for the CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) which exam I just passed - a huge feather in my cap.  Work has taken a lot of my emotional energy, so I've spent most of my non-studying time zoning out in front of the television.  I've come up for air enough that I really miss writing, and when I have the focus for it, the blog hasn't been the center of my attention.

But enough of that.  I wanted to talk a bit about sequel-itis, the impulse authors have to continue one book (or sometimes, one short story) with another.  It's not a disease I suffer much from.  (And yes, I use the term "disease" tongue in cheek.)  This might surprise you.  I've talked before about how I like to write stories with, "Yes, but ..." endings, which naturally lend themselves to the next chapter.

But for me, I'm content with leaving things open-ended, with a tale tied off in frayed knots.  When it comes to short fiction, I'm hyperactive:  I'd rather be on to something brand new and shiny.  When it comes to novels, on the other hand, whenever I reach the end, I already have possibilities and potential for a sequel, but I'm also a pragmatist.  As a professional writer, I'm not willing to put the time and energy into a second book until I know there's a chance it will see the light of day, which means selling the first ... and I'm not there yet.  Plus, by the time a book gets through the process of editing, submission, and potential acceptance ... you guessed it.  My hyperactive mind has moved on.

Does that mean there might be a sequel to Scylla and Charybdis?  I don't know yet.  I had two distinct possibilities for the direction, but there's a lot of water under the bridge between then and now.  There's also so much new on the horizon, different worlds for me to explore just as Anaea did.