So if you know me by now, I am completely transparent about my ADHD. One of the reasons I write is as a therapy cultivated in childhood, a way to unpack my brain to sleep, a way to control ADHD. But if you know anything about ADHD, symptoms can be exacerbated by stress. Enter the pandemic. I went off the deep end with my writing attention span--but my daily life and career survived.
If you missed my previous post about how I moved from my normal 5-6 WIP (Works In Progress) system that worked for years and lost all ability to focus, here's my Dec. 2020 post of my 9 WIPS, which turned into a May 2021 post of my 12!
So with things returning to a new "normal," how did the second half of this year go? Well, 12 turned into 15, which was a bit too intense--even for a multiple-WIP person like me. The ADHD needed to be reined in. I shelved 3, but then this past month, 2 more demanded to be revisited, so ending the year with 14 (I hope, still have a few days until 2022).
If this amount seems insane, I should stress that 4 are short stories, and some are already accepted by a publisher and under contract. I consider them WIPs until they are published as we go through rigorous rounds of editing post-contractual acceptance. I've also reranked them for importance (to help my focus).
Here's the breakdown:
1) a novel in final copyedits out Feb. 2022
2) a novel in my publisher's queue, but round one comes next
3 & 4) short stories with my publisher
5) companion novel recently accepted/contracted by my publisher
6) started drafting, awaiting a second "aha!" moment and to edit prior books in series (the above 1 & 2) to get back in the mood
7) a spinoff of a published trilogy, about half drafted (beginning and end), currently with my CP group
8) a spinoff of a published trilogy, about a fifth drafted (beginning and end--see a new pattern?)
9) last edits but holding off to submit until most 5-book series is completed, and language betas go through it
10) book 2 of the same series as number 9, revising middle but beginning and end are edited (and solid)
11 &12) half-drafted short stories that coincide with numbers 3 & 4
13) children's PB I decided not to query and give my husband time to illustrate a mock-up and a full illustration while I write more of them
14) a kid's chapter book that needs aging up or simplified syntax, likely both (it had 15 betas crying/demanding its publication--but agreed to difficult for kids--so gotta make this work)
WHEW! I have a lot on my plate, so I'm hoping that 2022 keeps me limited to these or I learn to shelve some. It's difficult to ignore them when you know you have a publishing slot--even if it's years away. It's there demanding to be filled while other new shiny ideas seduce the mind, and you have shelved ones that need revising. We shall see how I do in 2022, but I hope for a healthy dose of focus.