Flirting with intent

I’m cheating on my WIP.

It started out so innocently, a little thought that made me smile.

Next thing I knew I was daydreaming about it when I was supposed to be writing, idly imagining conversations, plot turns, characters, motivation.

And then I thought, what harm just a few lines? Just a few, tiny, exploratory words? Nothing big. In fact, this could be just what I need to put the spice back into my WIP. Because, let’s face it, things are a little stale right now. The spark has gone, we’re too comfortable with each other. I’m happy to be in my glasses, hair scraped back, glasses on, slouched on the sofa wine in hand. This new idea doesn’t know that side of me, we are all witty repartee, de-frizzed hair and contact lenses, flattering underwear.

A bit of time with something new might be just what we need to recharge the batteries, put the va va voom back into our relationship.

So I wrote a few words, then a few more until, before I knew it, I had written 2000. My WIP was waiting at home, anxious, one eye on the clock whilst I was out. With another idea. I was at the library but still…

I am a slutty writer.

Actually I don’t think the new idea is better than my WIP, or the other two plotted out, character rich ideas waiting patiently for me to get round to them. But it is new, it’s unknown and that makes it exciting. When I wrote Summer Fling it stemmed from one scene, that scene inspired from a song. I had a few ideas about plot, setting, characters but most of the book I discovered as I wrote it. Minty is different. I know everything. I know all about Minty and all about Luca, their past, present and future. What’s hard is conveying it, making it sound original and fresh when, to me, it isn’t.

And so I prevaricate, procrastinate and play around. Blog, tweet, read, look at brochures and plan holidays I can’t afford to take – all in the name of research naturally. The huge amount of time I spend Wii dancing and singing is, of course, quality family time, not putting-off-till-tomorrow-what-I-should-be-doing-today.

So, decisions, decisions. New, fun project which right now could be used as a shining example of a sh**ty first draft, head down on Minty and Luca or either of the plotted out, character-rich ideas I have.

Deciding isn’t procrastinating – is it?