The one thing that I don't have to worry about is running out of ideas! Even if I never thought of another story in my life, I still wouldn't have time to finish off all the ones I've started, or planned, or roughed out, or just thought of.
Here are a few of my ongoing projects. Some have been in various stages of development for years. Some may be finished in the foreseeable future. Some may never be completed - but who knows, perhaps they'll give someone else an idea?
'The Tethane' is my attempt at the highest of 'High Fantasy'. It owes a lot to 'Lord of the Rings' and even more to 'The Silmarillion', but with some ideas of my own - not a total rip-off, I hope!
I wrote the rough draft years ago, with the intention of using it as background for other stories. The other stories haven't yet made it out of my head (though they are in there!) and the rough draft, being handwritten, is only barely legible, even to me. So I'm in the slow process of putting it on the PC, doing a little editing on the way. Not a priority project, but theoretically do-able, if too many other things don't get in the way.
I've been an avid Sci Fi reader from about Year 1 of secondary school, when I found a book of short stories by Clifford Simax in the school library. I can even remember the first story I read in it - 'Beach Head' - and the plot.... it must have made a huge impact on me!
Naturally, I've been writing my own ever since. However, good Science Fiction I find harder to write than some other genre's. For the best stuff, you need to know some science, and that's not my strongest point! So, 'A Voyage in Jade' is probably my longest running project, and the least likely to be finished if I'm honest. It's not the plot, I had that worked out long ago. It's making it all hang together in a realistic way. Working out, for example, how fast a starship would have to travel in order to get from point A to planet B in the time allocated by the plot... for me, it's a real headache.
I'm on safer ground with Fantasy, where I can invent more of what I need... 'The Hidden Libraries' is a companion and (in part) a sequel to 'The Empresses Lover'. It uses the same background and some of the same characters, and I definitely intend to finish this one, hopefully within the next year. Or two..
'Princess' is the working title for another fantasy story. I did a lot of work on the background to this, and developed an extensive history to base the story around. But after the first two chapters, I was sidetracked onto something else, and haven't yet got back to it. Someday, I hope!
Here are a few of my ongoing projects. Some have been in various stages of development for years. Some may be finished in the foreseeable future. Some may never be completed - but who knows, perhaps they'll give someone else an idea?
'The Tethane' is my attempt at the highest of 'High Fantasy'. It owes a lot to 'Lord of the Rings' and even more to 'The Silmarillion', but with some ideas of my own - not a total rip-off, I hope!
I wrote the rough draft years ago, with the intention of using it as background for other stories. The other stories haven't yet made it out of my head (though they are in there!) and the rough draft, being handwritten, is only barely legible, even to me. So I'm in the slow process of putting it on the PC, doing a little editing on the way. Not a priority project, but theoretically do-able, if too many other things don't get in the way.
I've been an avid Sci Fi reader from about Year 1 of secondary school, when I found a book of short stories by Clifford Simax in the school library. I can even remember the first story I read in it - 'Beach Head' - and the plot.... it must have made a huge impact on me!
Naturally, I've been writing my own ever since. However, good Science Fiction I find harder to write than some other genre's. For the best stuff, you need to know some science, and that's not my strongest point! So, 'A Voyage in Jade' is probably my longest running project, and the least likely to be finished if I'm honest. It's not the plot, I had that worked out long ago. It's making it all hang together in a realistic way. Working out, for example, how fast a starship would have to travel in order to get from point A to planet B in the time allocated by the plot... for me, it's a real headache.
I'm on safer ground with Fantasy, where I can invent more of what I need... 'The Hidden Libraries' is a companion and (in part) a sequel to 'The Empresses Lover'. It uses the same background and some of the same characters, and I definitely intend to finish this one, hopefully within the next year. Or two..
'Princess' is the working title for another fantasy story. I did a lot of work on the background to this, and developed an extensive history to base the story around. But after the first two chapters, I was sidetracked onto something else, and haven't yet got back to it. Someday, I hope!