Exciting Writing Projects

I haven’t updated you on my writing projects in a while. This year has a lot of potential for me. I have the first novel in my Legacy series being considered by a literary agent right now. It’s a lengthy process, and I don’t expect to hear back from her for quite some time.

If she chooses to offer me representation, that means I have some serious thinking to do. I’ll need to carefully consider the contract and weigh whatever her company offers against self-publication and retaining complete control. If she declines to represent me, that’s okay. It’s part of the business, and it certainly won’t be my first rejection. I will move on.

I have a good start on the second book in the Legacy series, but I’ve put it on the back burner to concentrate on another project. If the agent and I decide to work together, I will switch my focus and once again immerse myself in the Legacy world.

For the past few months I’ve been concentrating on putting together a collection of my short stories that I plan to have published some time this year. I’m wrestling with how many stories to include, which stories to choose, how to organize them, and what to call my collection.

A title is important and can influence whether someone takes a moment to look at my book or keeps on scrolling. My major stumbling block in conceiving a title is the fact I want to include multiple genres in my collection. I could produce a series of smaller books that are genre-specific, but I really want my best work available in one volume.

I write down good titles as they come to me, and I have a list that’s several pages long. Unfortunately, none are perfect for my book. I will know when the perfect words pop into my head. I’ve come up with some great titles that I’ll use in the future, though.

Due to COVID-19, my critique group hasn’t met in person for several months. We’ve been emailing back and forth, but it’s not the same. I miss my group a lot. Not only are they great critique partners, but they are wonderful friends who truly want to see me succeed as I want success for them.

If we were meeting in person, we could brainstorm a title together. Even though we’re missing that dynamic, my group is currently going over four of my stories that will possibly appear in my book. They’ve already read several contenders, some of which I’ve decided to nix, others I’m giving one more edit.

Choosing which stories to use is a difficult decision. I don’t want to publish a mammoth tome that no one can afford to buy. I’m shooting for approximately 200 to 250 pages. I hope to have it all figured out by the end of the month.

I’m excited to share my words with the world and will let you know when I have more definitive information.

In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, my friends! Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and job, please subscribe to Ozarks Maven, Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.

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