What was your favorite idea for a story that you realized you’d never be able to write? (say, due to not enough time, not a large enough market, too difficult, etc)
The story that keeps eluding me is the one I’ve often referred to as “the Silence Divine.” It’s a story about a world where bacteria and viruses have a symbiosis with the magic, and grant powers to people who catch associated diseases. For example, if you get the common cold, you might be able to fly—but only for the period of time when you’re sick.
I think the magic system is cool, and I have a great idea for a plot. (Weaponized antibiotics as a method of bringing down a society’s ruling class, who are people who have a persistent disease that gives them powers.) But I haven’t been able to make it work—part is the knowledge that I need to know more about immunology, and theories of diseases spreading, before I can really do this story justice. (For example, figuring out the balance between the ruling class’s disease, their powers, and making it something that could be cured through use of antibiotics administered like a poison.)
The other issue has been time. Stories like the Stormlight Archive dominate a lot of my time, making smaller-scale novellas (like this one would likely be) difficult to squeeze in. I only have so much time for them, after all.