Sunday's SILLY WRITER - What's it like writing a 5-6 book series?

What's my life like as a writer?

What's it like writing a 5-6 book series?

Yea, it's kind of stressful, but I can't help it! I just need to write it!

So how do I react when someone asks about my writing?

How do I think about my writing?

Let me start with this:

Ok, that's not completely true for "what I really do". Yes, I get frustrated. I get frustrated and overwhelmed by the amount of characters and directions I want the story to go - which ones are the best? Which ones are keeper and which do I throw out (or save for a different series)? Which reminds me, yes I can save some plot or scene ideas for a different story all together. Nothing wrong with that!

I certainly do not have writer's block, unless there are different forms of writer's block?

Nay, I get blocked, or rather stuck is the more fitting term for me, on a road that comes to several forks. You know, like "fork in the road"? Except I come to like, a hundred forks on the road and then when I finally pick one to go down I come to another fork in the road of another fifty option....and on and on...it's a repeated process of constantly running into forks in the road. 

Like this:

At first the choice seems easy..."Go this way!"

And then I feel like, "Wait, maybe I should go this way instead...or that way would be good too...oooor that way....??"

And then I'm like, "There's too many to choose from! Stop, brain, with all the ideas! I can't handle it!"

All right, all right. One step at a time. We will take each choice, one at a time.

If it's stressing me out too much then maybe I need to cut it? Sometimes I just want to get rid of certain characters but they're too engrained in the story, I can't unravel them now! But it's too overwhelming!

I need to figure out this villain's stuff, this other villain's stuff and that villain's stuff, without revealing the first two villains as major threats to the heroes till book 2 and 3. Oh yea, and then there's about 4 other villains that rise up in books 3,4,5 maybe a book 6 and cause problems for the heroes and heroines.

And there are the supporting characters that need to be better understood too. And then...And then....

Relax your mind!

Calm your mind!

I feel like I am young Professor X and young Magneto in in the film "X-Men: Fitst Class" when Charles is shouting at Eric to calm his mind. Except I'm shouting at myself.

It actually kind of cracks me up - in comforting way that reminds me I'm human.

No worries here!

But seriously, here's my life:

Actually, I've never sobbed over my story, if anything frustrated and ignore it for a while. But I always end up coming back to it with apologies for ignoring it or simply wanting to tackle it into cooperation and be the dominate person...OR I come back to it with a sense of peace and mutual understanding, and mutual cooperation too I suppose.

So!

Yea, clearly I am still working out the kinks. And believe me there are lots of them. I mean, did you see how many pathways I could go?! You can't just pick one and go nilly willy. No! You have to figure out how the different paths will fit together or not. And if it's even plausible and makes sense for the characters and the setting.

It's great! So many challenges that seem never ending!?!