serial writer

I am a serial project starter. Really. I think I have a problem. I get ideas by the ton and next thing I know, I'm working on half a dozen novel at once with a few more on the backburner. I'm not the only one. (Though she probably doesn't look at her ongoing projects with a sense of dread that they will remain unfinished. I'm actually a little jealous of her organizational skills, but I digress...)

My newest project? An ongoing web serial. When I first started writing fanfiction in 2000, I became mistress of the neverending story. Part of that was because I was receiving instant feedback, so my first completed novel ended up with several involved subplots and finally clocked in at 120,000 words. The sequel (never finished) came in closer to 60,000 of a projected 80,000. Much shorter without the reader feedback. Another story (which has it's own blogspot) remains incomplete at 80,000 words, though I may finish it one day.

So, learning from my previous experience, I can totally do this. Granted, with those other stories, I had a vague clue where it was going (the third being the most mapped out, so I can go back to it easily) and a lot of feedback as I wrote. This one I'm going to attempt during NaNoWriMo this year, so I'll be writing at a fairly steady pace with only the faintest clue what might/could/will happen. I only know a little bit about the three main characters and that there's magic involved. I'm reluctant to do too much story planning because NaNo works better for me if I don't preplan everything (plus it keeps me from starting early), but I'm kind of worried about writing an urban fantasy with no idea what's going on. I don't even know what city the story will take place in. But maybe this will all be a good thing. Maybe I can use the epic fantasy to channel my many unused story ideas. Or maybe I can just write without overthinking for once. Ha. We'll see.