A day or so ago Sasha asked me this question:

I’m so pleased that everything went well for your Mini Nano. Will you be sitting back for a while or planning number three before you edit number two?

It’s a good question and I wanted to give it some thought rather than rushing in with a reply I might regret later.

My original plan was to let Cat’s Paw sit for the month of December and then start editing in January 2007. That would give me a whole month to catch up on other things - like my family tree research, reading (which I haven’t done at all this month), lazing around doing nothing, catching up on other writer’s blogs etc. I had no plans for book 3 at this stage.

However, all plans should be made in pencil, because it’s quite likely that you will change your mind somewhere along the line. And, if you are like me, even your planning needs to be neat and tidy.

Without question, I will give myself the rest of this week off; although I am already finding myself wandering around in the evening, feeling a little lost. The weather isn’t helping. I can’t settle down and concentrate because I’m trying to escape the oppressive heat. I hate summer.

Anyway, getting back on topic, on the weekend, I will start planning Book 3 – Cat’s Whiskers. The story has been rolling around in my head for a week or so now, even while I was writing book 2. I have a vague plan started. I know how the series is going to end. I’ve known that from the beginning of book 1. But how book 3 gets started is giving me a bit of trouble. I intend to use Sherry’s card system - A Tip for Getting Unstuck - to plan the chapters, once I’ve worked out a bit more of the plot, of course.

I will probably still do the edit in January, but I’ll be doing it with a firm idea where the characters are heading, and I believe that will be more helpful overall.

Thanks for asking the question, Sasha.

Filed under: Cat's Paw, Cat's Whiskers, My Writing: