The five-year plan

Filed under Writing Journal on June 4, 2004

Our company puts out a monthly “insider” newsletter that usually contains, among other things, a few employee bios. I was included this month, and mentioned the fact that I’m writing Maiden of Pain. As you might suspect, there are several D&D players in the call center, and one of the guys came up to me yesterday and asked about the book.

One of the questions he asked was if I eventually planned on writing full time. The answer was yes, and it called to mind the timeline I had set for that to happen. It’s my plan to be a full-time author in five years.

Yes, we’ve all heard of the Five Year Plan. I have a friend who evaluates his job every five years to decide if it’s time to move on. I only plan on being in my current position for the next 2-3 years. What I do after that depends on how successful the company I’m starting (along with Wan Gai and panicattack) is.

The plan for writing is to complete the manuscript for my first Chronicles of Arunda novel by September of next year and have it in the hands of an agent by December. I’d also be willing to take on another FR project as well. Following the eventual sale of my novel, I’d write the remainder of the trilogy at a rate of one novel per year, which would take me into year Four of my plan by the end. Year Five I would write a stand alone novel set just after the trilogy. And, Lord willing, with good sales and the success of our line of browser-based multiplayer games, I will be a full time author.