Shifting Gears (the Usual)

After writing 10K words on Doppelgänger, I had to rename the file, store it for possible later use, and start over. It happens. It sucks when it does, but I've learned not to fight it.

I couldn't make it work in a contemporary setting despite all of the notes I've amassed while working on the previous book. It's likely (most likely) a case of overthinking on my part because no matter what I did, I couldn't make events work in a contemporary setting while keeping things realistic within reason. 

And this is why I admire writers of contemporary fiction: I find that I keep resisting reality when I try, and I know it's not going to sit well with readers if none of my characters or cause-and-effect events are believable. My imagination takes flight, and when I go back and reread whatever sections I've written so far, my "modern day" side would point out places that won't work in the real world. 

Ignore the fact that since I write gothic horror, there'll be several things in the story that'll be highly implausible. However, what's happening is the way all those elements bleed into the rest of the scene / setting / characters. My plan was to make it something like "domestic gothic" or something along those lines, so the horror elements are supposed to be subtle and scattered. 

But I can't make it work because I'm me. 😑

So!

New file opened, new version started, and I'm back to square one with one chapter written. I'm sitting on it for the rest of the work week and checking it here and there to see if I'll still feel satisfied with the results, which I am, btw. So we're back to a historical fantasy with some subtle hints of magical elements worked into the story. I mean -- I love the idea of hexed lamps or hexed this and that (see: the Curiosities collection). You can say that I'm still mourning the loss of Eidolon and wishing I could do more for the series, but it is what it is, and I should keep moving forward. 

The story's the same as the original draft, but there are (of course) subtle tweaks because of the sharp change in setting. As with my other historical fantasy books, this one will be a mix of historical fiction and folklore, but (with any luck) it'll be closer to a straightforward historical.