Nick and I have a problem! ANK on getting from A to B

Nick Cole and I are at loggerheads. Once again!

He is one of the main characters of the Sphere-World series because he got himself involved, and now he is indispensable.

And he knows it!

It is mostly a joy to work with Nick because he is a team player, a great communicator, and he carries his heart on his sleeves.

Yet, he can also be extremely difficult. It's all about "fictional logistics" with him.

What do I mean by that? Well - he is always at the right place at the right time, and I appreciate his dedication.

He has an uncanny habit, though, of popping up all over the place - or rather all over the timeline to be precise.

One moment he is in the here and now, relaxed, ready to go along with my plot and do his thing to make the story progress - the next he jumps times and tells me exactly, where he will be twenty years down the line.

Hell! He is even as cocky as to jump books at times! It looks like he's inherited some of his father's ability to manipulate time.

Not that I have a problem with Nick pointing me in an exciting direction. I love fast-paced development. What I don't like is his laissez-fair attitude of shrugging his shoulders, looking at me, and telling me:

"Anathea, it is not my job but my yours to get me from A to B without boring myself and your readers into oblivion on the journey."

And he is right of course - but I often find it daunting to bridge years and sometimes even decades AND entertain Nick on the journey.

Nick definitely is one of the major sources of my "Writer's Dilemma."

Would I want him to be any different? I don't think so. If I rein him in too much, I stifle him and he goes into a major sulk. And then I lose him - his passion and his go-with-the-flow attitude as well as his fight.

Oh yes - he fights! Hardly a day when we agree on proceedings.

But when we do - it is bliss and harmony, and fast writing. And it all translates into words, and sentences, paragraphs, and pages closer to finishing the next book.

Today we had a good day. A 5,000-words-good day.

Thank you for your cooperation today, Nick!

ANK on A Writer's Dilemma

I thought I might be writing about writer's block here. But no! Far from! I have too many ideas, which need incorporating into my story. Too many details that I think are worth elaborating on. Too many crossroads and my characters are all pulling me in different directions!
The consequence? Is pretty much similar to writer's block. No writing... Just pondering, starting a scene, deleting it, start another scene, hit the del-key... You get the picture.
I was always under the illusion that having too many ideas was a good thing. Nope! Here I stand corrected!

I have a problem I never anticipated and consequently have no solution for. Risk assessment 101 anybody? Plan B, C, and D are not in place.

I am over 75,000 words into Homecoming - Book 3 of the Sphere-World series. Another 25 -40k should see the story wrapped up.

And here comes the problem: I know already, that a measly 25k words will not get me anywhere near the end of Homecoming! Yet, instead of writing away to my heart's content and cutting out surplus scenes, dialogues, and events later, I cannot progress. I get stuck half-way through every scene I try to write. Then I start fretting over it. Do I need it? Is it adding anything to the story? Dare I leave it out? Then I go back a few chapters and decide that - yes indeed, I do need this particular paragraph/sentence/scene to justify why my characters are acting the way they do, or why certain things had to happen or to simply thicken the plot. No easy way out! So, what am I going to do? I have been pondering this for a while now and I came to a decision: There is no other solution than to start drafting book 4 of the Sphere-World series! It has even got a working title already. It's called "Back In Time."
And while "Homecoming" is still in the making, "Back In Time" is already taking shape.
Soon as I decided to expand the Sphere-World series, I disentangled the proverbial Gordian Knot.
Scenes and events, which are not necessarily essential to understanding the motives and events in Homecoming will be incorporated into Back In Time, where I can explore them in more depth and give them the space they deserve, without having to fret over petty wordcounts. Not that I generally fret much over wordcounts anyway, but I think I would be mashing up different storylines and worlds if I didn't write the fourth book in the series.

Next to come in the Sphere-World series!
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