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(From the March 10 Future-Tarot chat.)

[Jen.N] With regard to writing, particularly the Kat O’Reilly novels and associated things: I wonder if I’m putting the cart before the horse and trying to rush things too much. Am I being too impatient in that area?

[Serenity Bly] *ponders* Well, it’s an interesting future card, but the others are making sense so we’ll wait and see what that one has to say later.

[Jen.N] Interesting can be good. (Last week, I thought the answer would be a resounding YES I’m being too impatient, but now I’m not so sure.)

[Serenity Bly] In the past, we see the Seven of Wands (reversed) and tied to the Four of Wands in the present. I see this as a clear sense of “if not now, when?” You’ve had the ideas and inspirations vying for your attention. They’re demanding and they won’t wait. You HAD to do this now, and there was nothing else you could have done. Those men have been at you and at you making you write their stories and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

[Jen.N] Oh yeah. I’m writing these books (the Maguire Men series) as fast as I can get them done.

[Serenity Bly] It’s been a bit of a battle knowing which to write when, what to work on, how one story comes together apart from the others, etc.

[Jen.N] I’m already planning the next one. It’ll be the 5th.

[MoonlitKim] You are really on fire, Jen!

[Serenity Bly] In a way, part of me wonders if you need to consider the whole and make sure you haven’t got anyone’s stories mixed up with anyone else’s. That bustle and confusion could have taken a toll on the manuscripts.

[Jen.N] Kim, sometimes I feel like it. I go to bed and they keep me awake. I kind of resent the day job for keeping me from writing.

[Serenity Bly] The Sun shows that continuing fire of inspiration and creativity. Keep writing and writing. Let them guide you while you get it down on paper.

[Jen.N] I’ve actually considered that [possibility of confusion]. I have separate file folders on the computer and 3-ring notebooks for each one to minimize that happening.

[Serenity Bly] I feel like the writing process is where you’re at now, so perhaps the sense of impatience is knowing you have those “finished” books and wanting to push through to publication.

[Jen.N] Defintely!

[Serenity Bly] What I sense here is that the men need you to finish writing them and THEN consider them as a whole when you edit the series.

[Jen.N] Whoo boy.

[Serenity Bly] Yep, that sounds daunting.

[Jen.N] Which could be why they’re overlapping so much now—meaning writing one & planning the next.

[MoonlitKim] Yep, and present them as a whole too. I love your multi-century concept, but a publisher might not be able to “see” it until you can show him what you’re talking about.

[Serenity Bly] What it’s really saying is stay with this energy now, stay in the frame where you’re focusing primarily on getting it written.

[Jen.N] Yeah. Daunting describes it. The series will ultimately be about 15 books.

[Serenity Bly] Worry about what comes next after they’re written.

[Jen.N] OK. So I am being too impatient in that regard.

[Serenity Bly] The Devil in the Future is reversed, warning you against inviting outside influences in at this point. To me, it’s another indication that you might be moving too soon with finding an agent and publisher. Those external influences will want to make changes. They won’t necessarily see the greater picture and they might push you around more than you’re ready for at this point.

[Jen.N] Ah. OK. Which might also actually explain why I haven’t heard anything from anyone yet even though their published response times have come & gone.

[Serenity Bly] They’re going to want to change your concepts, to make new stories out of the ones you’ve written and you don’t want to bring that into your life.

[Jen.N] Very true.

[Serenity Bly] You’ve not, technically, finished the books yet, even the earlier ones, because when the men all come together those earlier ones will change. It’s in seeing the WHOLE picture that you’ll be able to finish putting the pieces together. You don’t want people coming in early to be stealing pieces of the puzzle before you even know what the big picture is. Does that make sense?

[Jen.N] The last book will take it full circle. During the potato famine, they’ll come to the United States. Then in the last book, which will be modern times, they’ll go back to Ireland.

[Serenity Bly] Ah, in that case it sounds very much like it makes sense.

[Jen.N] It does. I’ve made myself a bit anxious a time or two not wanting too much of it changed when it goes through the publication process.

[Serenity Bly] Try imagining if the first three got published, when you’re writing that final book you’d be STUCK to the “facts” presented in those stories, you can’t change anything then; it’s too late. By holding back and writing the entire series first, you’re free to let that final story tell its story, and then tweak the inconsistencies that might come up. You know how those darn characters sometimes like to say, “Nope, don’t want it done like that do it this way instead.”

[Jen.N] Honestly? I’ve even considered going an e-book self-pub route using Amazon for the Kindle. Don’t know that I will, but…. Very true.

[Serenity Bly] So, I think what it’s saying here is don’t push for publication on any of them yet. Get them written, stay in that energy and space, and let the ideas all come together as a whole before moving on to the next stage. Even if you published the manuscripts as is, right now, when you’ve finished the final book you may wish you could change things.

[Jen.N] I have considered giving the character in the last book the same name as the one in the first book if that wouldn’t make things too confusing. What I might consider, then, is pushing the non-Maguire books, like NAVAJO ROSE. Er… OK. That’s the only one I have right now that’s not in the series.

[Cyn] Not at all. He keeps the papers of his ancestors from Ellis Island and the one he was named after.

[Serenity Bly] Yes. I can see you pushing ahead with non-Maguires in the meantime. You might even find the Maguire men step aside to let you write another book or two off-series in the meantime.

[Jen.N] I’ll be taking a week—maybe 2—off from the day job in May to work just on writing. I can’t wait until September/October. Ack!

[Serenity Bly] But, for their series at least, they need you do do the writing first.

[Jen.N] That makes a *lot* of sense and goes along with what I’ve known in the back of my mind but have ignored..

[Serenity Bly] Of course, I can understand the frustration because you want to spend your time writing but until you’re getting an income from writing you can’t quit your day job.

[Jen.N] That’s a bit of an understatement, but I’ll get there. Thanks so much, Serenity!

[Serenity Bly] And you can’t get an income from writing unless you either publish what you’ve already got or change writing tact and therefore use your energy writing non-fiction, which is worse than the day job in the sense that after writing non-fiction all day, you have no energy left to write fiction. *hugs Jen* I’m glad I could offer some clarity on your uncertainties.

[Jen.N] “Some” clarity?

[MoonlitKim] Oh, yeah, and don’t forget, that even if you publish Navajo Rose, you have to market it and that takes you out of the writing state of mind.

[Jen.N] Yup. That’s definitely a consideration too. But, I’ll be having to do that soon anyway. DEVOTED TO CREATING will be out around the first of May.

[MoonlitKim] Woohoo! Great news, Jen!

[Cyn] Wonderful news!

[Jen.N] I’m excited! And maybe money from that can go to paying for my residency in October.  It’s a book of devotions centered around creativity.

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