“When do you write?” is a question I get asked a lot when I go out to speak. The answer is “whenever I can.” Because I’m retired professionally, you might think I have all the time in the world to write. But like many retirees, I am busy a lot!

My goal, from the beginning of The Franklin Key to now, has always been to write 500 words a day. If I had done that faithfully, I would already be finished with The Marco Polo Porcelain. But the truth is, some days I’m just not inspired, and other days I can’t stop. This week is typical. I wrote over 900 words on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I had some family things to deal with. And today I wrote 590 words.

There’s also research to be considered. Especially for The Marco Polo Porcelain, I’ve had to do a LOT of research. And that takes time. Don’t ask why I chose such a distant and mysterious country as Mongolia for my setting (well, of course, partly because we are talking about Marco Polo.) Sometimes ideas just pop into my brain. The main thing is, I have to be enjoying the story myself.

Trust me, I’ve painted myself into some corners. But generally, with a little more research, I can come up with a plausible scenario to explore. Well, bottom line, I am still hope that I will finish The Marco Polo Porcelain by the end of summer. I’ll give you all the first heads up here! Thanks for reading. Marja