Ho, ho, self-control

I began trying to get to sleep at about 3 AM last night, but it must have been closer to 5 when I finally did. And this afternoon, I woke up at about 1 PM, but only got out of bed at half past 2. 

The reason I tell you this is not because I expect those facts to be particularly scintillating, or even because I fancy having another whinge about my insomnia. It's because I thought I'd mention exactly what was going on in those intervals between bed/sleep and waking/getting up.

I was thinking about a book. More precisely, I was thinking about the sequel to ECHOES. I can't begin to describe how exciting it was to lie there and have characters talking to each other in my head; to have scenarios form themselves; to be chilled by a frightening moment; to get teary at a particularly sad one; to have scenes write themselves out (always far, far better than when it actually gets to paper/screen). It's been so long since I've had my characters and scenes clutter my head up so vividly, and it made me long to get up and start writing the book.

Only, I've told myself I won't. Not yet. Not until I've written a first draft of CLOCKWORK at least. This is going to take enormous amounts of self-control and willpower, but I have to do it, because I can't get caught up in an ECHOES-sequel just yet. 

The thing is, if ECHOES doesn't get anywhere, I need to have something to start working on/pitching next. At some point, you move on to the next book, and keep the others in the back of your mind. It's really the only thing that makes rejection easier to take, and it's a lot of fun to get wrapped up in another adventure; it makes letting go of the first smoother, easier.

Well, if the only thing I have waiting is a sequel to the novel that's getting nowhere right now... that's not exactly going to help. So. I must wait. I've got to crack the hard nut that is CLOCKWORK, and wade deeper into it. 

But, happily, there's nothing stopping me from letting ECHOES' cast and crew run rampant in my head...