What’s Next?

I’ve written two books; one I put aside and one I’m actively querying, but a thought keeps looming over my head, “What’s next?”

I’m stuck trying to start my third book. I’ve written snippets, but that’s it to this point. Every time I go to work on it, I seem to distract myself, writing something else instead like this blog post, or lyrics to a song. But you know what, that’s okay.

I realized I’m not yet ready to invest my time in another long-term project that might or might not pan out. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into my first two books. I find myself needing to take a step back to really analyze what else I have left to give. What other story do I have to tell that warrants attention? For my first two books I knew exactly what I wanted to explore. For this third book I’m still trying to figure that out. No wonder I am stuck.

But in this pause I’ve been learning to give myself a break. It’s okay that I don’t have this figured out yet. While I’m noodling over what to write next, I’ve signed up for another novel writing class. I figured I might as well continue to learn how to improve my craft to the best of my abilities while I brainstorm.

I’m also allowing myself to explore new writing ventures, including the pilot of a TV sitcom I wrote. Why not try something new? Maybe while working on that I’ll get a new book idea, or who knows, maybe I’ll really enjoy writing song lyrics or TV shows? Who says I always must write novels?

What do you do when you’ve experienced writers block? I’d love to hear your ideas.