what do i do now?

Sooooooo…. I have finished my steampunk novel. And I have absolutely no idea what to do now.

I do have a few projects on the table that need attending to between now and the end of September (when I hope to receive my beta copies back), but I don’t see them taking nearly that long to complete. I need to start building my author website, which is a collaborative effort between me and my husband. I should probably create a Facebook fan page for the novel (taking a whopping five minutes). And I need to start contacting blogs that review Young Adult, Steampunk, or indie novels and blogs that interview indie authors (if you fall in any of these categories, let me know, and I will definitely send you a copy of The Clockwork Giant as soon as I’ve finished editing).

However, I don’t think these things will occupy my time quite like writing does. I love writing. Most writers do, but I just feel weird knowing that I don’t have anything to work on for the next couple of months. Before I can start revising The Clockwork Giant, I have to wait to hear back from my wonderful beta-readers, and who knows how long that will take (though, I have already heard back from one reader).

So, if I want to write, but I don’t want to work on The Clockwork Giant, what’s a girl to do? I have my fantasy novel that I would like to start working on, as well as the sequel to The Clockwork Giant. However, I don’t want to start working on the sequel until I’m sure that everything is all right with the first novel. And on the other side, I don’t know if I should start working on the fantasy novel or not. Should I finish the steampunk novels before starting the fantasy novels, or should I just swap back and forth, releasing a steampunk novel, then a fantasy novel in six months, then another steampunk, another fantasy, and so on so forth? I know the “experts” say that authors shouldn’t write in more than one genre, but I’ll tell you (and them) right now… suck it. I love fantasy and steampunk, so by golly, I’m going to write both. I just don’t know how to go about it. Thoughts?

In the meantime, I do have a wonderful few days of productive distraction to keep me occupied this week. WriteOnCon starts tomorrow. There are several events I’m looking forward to. “Creating Compelling Settings” by author Jessi Kirby, “Collective Blogging and Book Promotion” by Stages on Pages, “The Debut Year” by author Lindsey Leavitt, “I Don’t Care That He’s Hot: Building Believable Romance” by editor Martha Mihalick, “Character Growth” by author Lauren Oliver, “Successful Marketing/Promo/School Visits” by author Jon S. Lewis, and the “Traditional vs. Self-Publishing” live chat with literary agent Sara Megibow. I will most likely attend nearly every event between the time I wake up and the time my husband gets home, and since every event will be available to watch at any time, I don’t have to worry about getting up at five in the morning to see some of them. The beauty of WriteOnCon.

So that will occupy this week. Friday, I plan on venturing to the theater to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 again. I understand that my initial viewing of it was predisposed to negativity, what with the line fiasco and the fact that I can’t exactly stay up until three in the morning without being a bit cranky. I expect to enjoy it much more the second time around. It’s my way of celebrating the completion of my novel. Don’t judge me.

Next week? I have no idea.

So what do writers do when they don’t write? Do you think I should begin plotting my fantasy novel, or should I wait until the steampunk series is complete? How do you spend time between project completion and revision?