The back burner refers to putting a project into suspension for a little while. Usually, with writing, it just means letting things stew and, I suppose, hoping something tastier comes out at the end. I have put a lot of ideas on the back burner but never an actual book, until now. Should Iolos Fall has gone onto the back burner!

I was reading an article lately about how Science Fiction, as a genre, used to be considered dangerous. It used imagination underpinned by logic and science to push the boundaries of the human world. Although there are some writers out there still trying to do this the fact is that mainstream science fiction is as tepid as most other literary genres. Success can sometimes be a curse. During my hiatus from writing, I looked at Should Iolos Fall again and liked it, but also realised that there was nothing dangerous about it. As it stands the story is just another space opera. The core ideas are good, but the premise lacks a cutting edge.

Curiously, while I was considering what was wrong with my book something else happened. It is one of those moments that are hard to explain to another person; it was a moment of inspiration. I have a lot of ideas, most of which never see the light of day, some, however, persist. Most of them do not have what it takes to make it beyond being a short story, but I am not interested in writing short stories. As if to spite me, those ideas keep floating around my head though. And then came the flash of inspiration. I suddenly realised a vehicle in which many of these short stories could be passengers and that their journey would be the novel.

It was like lots of different pieces in a puzzle all dropping into place at the same time. I suddenly had a very clear picture of the book that I wanted to write. To see if it would work, I started writing an overview and got excited just by that alone. I counted 15 themes to explore, and several characters have already started to define themselves. I have mentioned previously that I wanted to write about Euthanasia, a difficult subject, and I have tried, but I realised that this was one of those stories that was not going to make it to 70,000 words without some padding, which I do not want to do. My new idea gives me the opportunity to write that story without having to labour any of the points. In the same way it will encompass other subjects that interest me regarding the human condition, loneliness, isolation, rejection, futility, love, friendship, and many more. The combination of all these ideas is giving me a sense of literary danger, originality, and total escapism. It has gotten me excited about writing again!