Having struggled over the past few months to write anything that I’m truly happy with for One Last Conversation; a new novel that is now approximately 2/3 written, yet quite possibly one I’ll never complete or publish because I just can’t find the inspiration as to how to conclude it, I started to ponder whether it might be time to shelve it and consider something else.
At the point of publishing A Fairytale Resolution; the fourth novel in a series originally planned as a trilogy, I thought that was probably the last I’d write about Maddie, Adam and their families and friends. I was happy with the way their story had resolved (hence the title of the last book) and couldn’t imagine finding enough material for a sequel. My views began to change, however, when I read a series of six books by another author recently. The protagonists in that series captured my heart, and although they bore absolutely no similarity to Maddie and Adam, I fell in love with them and couldn’t wait to read more. The fact that the author had successfully penned six novels about them, their story so far spanning a period of three years, with plenty of potential for more to come, also got me thinking.
I began to wonder what might happen if I were to reconsider taking the Fairytales beyond the four current books. Could I successfully write more about those characters? Walking on a beach in Crete with a friend who has read the series, talking about the planned outline for the books versus what I actually wrote because of Covid’s interference in my planned plot, she asked me that very question and I was surprised to find myself answering ’yes’ and agreeing that perhaps another Fairytale might emerge after all.
Fast forward four weeks to two days ago, and completely out of the blue the first chapter came to me. I woke up on Saturday morning knowing exactly what I needed to write and desperate to write it. Penning the chapter was easy in many respects; dialogue between Maddie and Adam always flowed freely, but I also realised just how much of the detail that I needed had to be looked up, because I have a shocking memory and didn’t want to get the facts wrong. What was Adam’s business called? How old were the children? These and so many other questions required me to scroll through old manuscripts hunting for answers.
I now have a very strong urge to write more about Maddie and Adam’s future, but before I can successfully do that, I need to revisit the past. As a result, I’ve spent much of the past 24 hours reading and making notes, eventually deciding that to read the whole series from the start was the best course of action. I’m loving reading my own work, surreal as it is to read a novel that I know I wrote myself, and I’m now 3/4 of the way through A Fairytale Christmas. My plan is to read the series in it’s entirety, and possibly even A Greatest Gift too, although I read that before writing the final two Fairytale books for the same reason as I’m reading now, and I still have the notes that I made then. Once I’ve re-read the existing books, I can then plot the next instalment fully in my head and see where inspiration for writing it takes me.
Watch this space!
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