STARTING A NEW PROJECT by Jane Kelley

Have you ever wondered which way to go?

My husband Lee chose the path to the right when we were hiking in Maine. Unfortunately, life's forks in the road have no helpful signs. And there are never any guideposts when one is about to begin a project. 

This is too bad. I could really use some guidance now. I'm not just picking a topic––I'm choosing what I will be doing for the next two years. That's a long time when the world is changing so fast. I worry that what seems like fertile ground will shift underneath my feet. And I'll find myself in a new place. Again.

You know what I mean. We have all been uprooted by COVID. I'm fortunate. No one I know has suffered directly from the disease. But three years ago, I had just finished writing a novel about a girl whose virologist mom was infected by a novel virus. That story became a little too topical––especially since one of the scientists had deliberately manipulated that virus to make it more contagious. 

So I'm trying to decide what to write about next. I know there's nothing to be gained by walking where everyone else already has. I must find my own path. Pursue my personal passions. And hey -- if I end up on the shores of Lake Michigan -- what's so bad about that?

Hmmm. Maybe a story about an ancient sea monster washing up on the beach in a storm?

JANE KELLEY is the author of many middle grade novels --- including the prescient and unpublished ISOLATION.