For the last several months, my writing output has been abysmal. Several of my stories have languished, collecting virtual dust on my hard drive as it felt like inspiration and motivation had packed up and moved on. This all started back in June and July. Together with shifting priorities in my personal life, my time for writing has been more limited than ever.

In August, I decided to take a bit of a writing detour. Earlier this year, my daughter had asked me to write a story about a cat and its adventures. I had started the story but got stuck after the first chapter. Then, in August, the whole plot just seemed to land in my lap. With her birthday coming up in September, it was the perfect opportunity to write the story and get it properly printed for her.

I spent the next few weeks plotting the story a bit more in-depth and then writing it. Although not long (around 5k words), I got it done in time to get it to a reputable book printer. Less than a week later, I had a copy of the book in my hand, with a week to spare before her birthday! I was excited.

As her birthday rolled around, I'll never forget the excitement when she saw I had written a book for her. She started reading it on our drive to school, and as soon as she got out of school, she finished reading the book before even playing with any of her other gifts. It was a special moment for me, seeing both her and her brother so engrossed in something I wrote just for her. To top it off, they both absolutely loved the story and wanted a sequel.

As a writer, seeing someone else (especially family) enjoy what you're writing really warmed my heart and it encouraged me in a way no actual sale could do. It has inspired me to get back to my stories and keep going.
That's exactly what I've done this past week, although at a slower pace than before.
First of all, I'm going to take an opportunity to expand the original story I wrote for my daughter. I had to cut it short in the interest of time to make sure it was printed on time. Then, I'm going to start working on the next story for her.
I've also returned to editing. Editing has ALWAYS been the part of writing I've hated the most. But, I also realize it's painfully necessary. This week, I've returned to Intervention and I've gone through the first four chapters again. I've rewritten several parts of chapters three and four and I'll be working through the others in the coming month.
As far as stories go, I need to finish the first draft of the Departure Protocol but I'm also itching to write a sequel to Hive Island. I have a basic idea for that one already. We'll see how it goes, right? Then there's Terminus Approach. Yikes, so much to do, right?But first, cat adventures ahead!