Sometimes, having a couple of projects on the go is an energising, motivating space to be in. At other times, they pull every ounce of energy from the creative mind; only to be too thin to stretch across either piece.
This month, I’ve been flitting between two projects: the post-alpha-read-edits of The Felled Gods, and the unfinished-first-draft of Skeletal. Both have a rich environment I’ve struggled to really describe, and both have a girl with magic that I don’t understand 100% yet. I’m a good 95% there, and it has its own rules; but the definition of ‘how’ it works: an aspect I particularly like in magic systems, has partially eluded me.
So as I brainstorm one, often the other project rises; just checking in on the idea. The magic systems are very different; one being from a specific channel (like a wand) and the other a more innate psychic-style power. The characters are very different: but both females travelling across a land which is new to them. While one is guided through forests, avoiding dangerous fauna; the other is clambering through tunnels on her own, afraid of any other person discovering her.
They are far from similar stories, but as I brainstorm one, the other comes to mind.
And for now, that’s a positive space to be.
I have ideas, free-flowing, and if it’s not ‘right’ for one project, there’s a 50/50 chance it may work for the other. And that sense of “this idea could be useful” makes the creative process that much more enjoyable. Rewarding, almost.