In Which I Panic and Start a New Series

I have been working on my Strathbridge Mystery series since November, and everything felt like it was going according to plan.

Then, at the end of April, I hit a wall.

Book three was outlined. I knew exactly what was going to happen, but I had no interest in writing it.

So, I stepped away and wrote a short story instead.

It came in at a bout 2,500 words, with a twist I'm quite fond of. A few readers are giving feedback now, so I can polish it up before finding a market for it. Short fiction isn't my natural lane, but I do enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the short break didn't fix the problem.

I went back to book three only to find myself still stuck. Ten thousand words in, and crawling forward a few hundred words a day. They weren't even good words.

I decided something more drastic than a short story was in order. I started a new series.

It's nothing like Strathbridge.

Strathbridge is a small-town mystery; The Longstride Saga takes place in a big city.

Strathbridge has a female sleuth; Longstride's protagonist is male.

Strathbridge is written in third person; Longstride in first.

Strathbridge is a contemporary cozy; Longstride leans into speculative realism with minor fantasy elements.

The only thing they share is the mystery, though Longstride is more suspense while Strathbridge is cozy.

And, it's working. I'm back up to over a thousand words a day without forcing it.

I'm feeling more excited to get back to Strathbridge soon too.

I might have been able to torture myself to push through, but changing gears feels better.

And given my glacially slow progress before the shift, this approach might actually get it done sooner.