What Next?

For the first time in a very long time, I have the opportunity to ponder – what should I write next? I’ve got projects aplenty, but this next one is truly up to me. I get to pick!

I’m coming to the end of the final edits of my third book for The Story Plant. That completes the deal. Oh, sure, there’s still copy edits, proofreading, cover design, promotional stuff, the begging for reviews, and the launch. But that’s not up to me – that’s dictated by the book, the publisher, the editor, and readers. That whirlwind will keep my mind busy, but my heart needs a new project to keep me sane.

I could (and I have) started a new women’s fiction novel, but I’ve just finished three, so it might be fun to work on something different.

I could pull out the manuscript of a memoir I wrote five years ago about breaking my horse True and raising my kids. The only problem with that is I’m not finished with either project.

I could go back to my young adult novel and tear it apart looking for clues as to why it hasn’t sold. How many times can I re-write it, though? At some point we all have to say, “Uncle.”

How about a cookbook to accompany my Live Intentionally book? That could be fun (and fattening?).
I could comb through the plethora of essays, used and unused, that clog my laptop and pull together a parenting anthology of some sort.

My kids are the center of my world, as such, they’ve figured into plenty of my writing. Someday, they may call me from their therapist’s office to complain, but for now they roll along, oblivious to their literary appearances. But writing about my kids is getting trickier. It’s harder to use them as material. They’re still cute and rife with wisdom, but it’s only a matter of time before they protest when neighbors mention that I’ve written about them – again.

In the past 15 months we’ve had 44 foster dogs and I’ve written about each one of them. I’ve discovered that not only is writing about dogs fun (and they never complain when I post embarrassing pictures on my blog), but it’s popular. In fact, after nearly ten years of blogging, I can confidently say that people would rather read about dogs, than kids or organic food or being a parent or writing. (All topics that I’ve blogged about in the past.) Another Good Dog has over 2700 followers now and seems to pick up more each week. People like dogs.

And it’s easy for me to write about our foster dogs. I love them and I’m passionate about rescuing them. I don’t worry that you’ll think I’m nuts because I plan my weekends around adoption events or meeting the transport van. I’m not afraid to post pictures of my living room with the dog crates or the demolished stuffed animals or the stacks and stacks of towels for the puppies. I don’t apologize for the permanently installed baby gate that traps you in my kitchen or the odor that occasionally wafts out of the puppy room. And when adopters pull out of my drive with my latest foster, the tears are happy tears. Fostering feeds my soul.

So, maybe that’s the next project – a dog book.

Hmmmmmm…….
 
 

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