Who do you trust if your own memories betray you? If everything you think you know has come from someone else’s mind, how do you know who to believe?
And who to kill.
I get annoyed with myself sometimes.
I have a fairly good sense of self-esteem; don’t you worry about that. My brain, however, likes to take my view of myself and turn it upside down.
Me in my head: I start a project. I finish it, no matter what stands in my way, then start another one. Stability. Doing what I say. Keeping promises. If I can’t do that then what’s the point?
Me in reality: Works on Legends of Light then lets them rest for a bit because I can’t get the characters in book six to just click. Also, while I still want to finish them, other projects have higher priority.
Also me: Works on Rebel Heir. Outlines it. Prepares to rewrite it. Has fought with the main character to get his voice right for two years and I am excited about it.
Random piece of flash fiction: So remember that project you wrote two drafts of several years back? The one your friends loved and kept begging you to write? The one you keep refusing to touch because it doesn’t fit in with your plans, but which flows better and truer and rawer than anything you’ve written before or since?
Me: …what about it?
Flash Fiction: Write it.
Me: No.
My friends: Write it.
Me: I can’t. Rebel Heir and Legends of Light and…
My gut: write ittttttt.
Me: I hate you all.
So yeah, that’s my life. No consistency. No plans. What are those anyway?
On a more serious note, I am switching projects. Again. I don’t think I’ll switch again until this trilogy is over, however. For reasons I’ll explain in a moment.
Scarlet Rose is a trilogy where I took all the things that annoyed me about modern teen/ya dystopian rebellions and redid them. Things like love triangles being as important as victory, or a teenager leading a rebellion when there are others more capable, or people being stupid and running off to do their own thing and leaving chaos behind. Or even the idea that, if you fight hard enough, you’ll win.
I took those ideas. I twisted them.
I added memory experiments which not only wipe memories but replace them. I have mental hijacking that uses free will instead of ignoring it. I have science that might not be all it seems to be. Or it might be more.
When Anna wakes up from a transport accident, she thinks she is safe. She thinks she knows who she is. She thinks she knows what side she’s on in the turbulent politics surrounding the assassination of a prominent politician.
There’s only two state-approved religions after all. She must belong to one of them.
Except she quickly realizes that what she knows and what she sees are two very different things.
As everything falls apart, or perhaps falls into place, Anna is in a race against both time and a looming rebellion.
She must find a way to rediscover who she is.
Except that might be just what her enemies what.
It’s a disjointed blurb, I know. It will be better eventually. Maybe I’ll let Scarlett write it. She’s planning to be in the books, after all. (Shhh, don’t let her know I said so. I’ve yet to give final approval and see if it works.)
Unlike my previous books, Scarlet Rose is futuristic and dystopian. Everyone who’s read both my fantasy and bits of Scarlet Rose insists I write futuristic better. The style suits me and I it. I love it and it just…flows.
I also love fantasy and most my ideas were in fantasy. Hence the reason I resisted writing Scarlet Rose for so long.
But what better time to give in and upended plans than now, hmm? It’s happened in most other areas of my life over the last year. Not to mention, if a story like Scarlet Rose has stuck with me and nagged at me for so long (over six years now) then it’s going to get its way at some point.
Over the past month I’ve been working on outlines and themes and characters and getting feedback from my critique group. It’s been amazing and the story is forming so well already. I can’t wait to start writing.
And I can’t wait to share it with you.
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Ooh, I’m super excited! This sounds really intriguing and I hope writing goes well!
I’m excited too!
Hope Ann,
You have great instincts. Never be too wedded to a plan that you require a bill of divorce from it, and it takes the kids and your house. (just kidding)
I have often heard it said that the sure way to make God laugh is to show Him our plans.
Psalms 37:5-7 says:
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
I too get so annoyed with the mewling and pitching of some of the YA characters that I just want to slap them into the forthcoming week, but skipping over the present and not learning from past mistakes tends to make characters and people get worse and not better.
Too often the creative drive takes an unanticipated turn, especially when God is steering it. He knows the when of things better than we ever will, so just follow where He leads. He is The Vine after all and He determines when to prune and when to harvest. Trust in that.
If He puts you on a “new thing” let Him. Wildflowers are often the prettiest in bloom.
I am looking forward to the integration of Scarlett. Love her snarling wit. She may have resented you working on Rebel Heir and wanted her story told. I believe I heard she was secretly telling everyone that the book was just you describing a particularly bad hair day. 😉
You might want to send your gang of press agents to “reel her in”.
Well, Scarlett has been waiting for long enough. She’ll have to wait a bit longer because I’m not sure if she’s in the first book much at all. I suppose we’ll see.
*grins* Can’t wait.
Me either.
This new project sounds awesome!
Thanks!
Ohooo can’t wait!
*grins*
This is gonna be AH-MAY-ZING!! <33
It will be. XD
I can’t wait! This book sounds awesome!!!
I’m really looking forward to it.
Sounds like a lot of fun!! …Also sounds surprisingly similar to what I’m writing. But I don’t have memory-modifying stuff, so that should be fine.
I am on board for this!
Nice! Yes, there are so many different ways to tell a story. I’d not be worried. 😉