Put Chapter 11 of the first draft to bed last night. The writing has been going slowly, but it has been going, and I am guardedly confident that it’ll pick up speed.

One problem I’ve been having is that I’ve got this idea for another book I want to write, and I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. It’s a light fantasy that’s going to require a lot of prep work, and I’ve been poking at the prep work and writing the odd paragraph here and there.

I will say this about it: I thought up this book mostly because of my wife. See, I’ve recommended a few fantasy things to her to read, and she only likes some of them. Took her a while to get into Lord of the Rings, but once she did, it was fine. She likes the Discworld series. Didn’t like Tigana. Couldn’t get into The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. I asked her what the problem was, and she said, “They’re so sad. Everyone in them is so sad.”

Which they were. I tried to mount a defense by saying, “What about Devin in Tigana? He’s not sad.”

“No, but all his friends are, and he wants to be just like them!”

Which was also true.

So I tried to think of some fantasy on my shelves that wasn’t so sad and serious. It was a harder job than I expected. I mean, there is some. Paul Kidd. Barry Hughart. David Eddings, if I wanted to go that way. Some others. But overall not much.

Well, why shouldn’t there be fantasy out there where the characters have more of a good time? I know, I know, you need conflict and tension in your story. I know that. But there’s no reason you can’t do both things. Anyway, I have this idea and I like it and I’m gonna write it.

But I don’t want to let it distract me from Ded & Sac. One thing at a time. This light fantasy thing (as yet untitled!) is going to have to settle for scraps of time until I’m finished at least the first draft. Then we’ll see.