Current Project: Argh!!Status: In a Quandary
Sorry for the late post. I've been having a minor writing crisis (as well as stressing over other things not worth exploring at this juncture).
Sometimes I wonder if my subconscious is trying to tell me something.
Last week I started working on the project I've targeted as wanting to finish this year and (hopefully) submit to the Golden Heart in November. I've been mulling over the story since the end of NaNoWriMo. I like the changes I've made to it and that I'm giving myself room to let things happen--I'm trying not to have such a tight control over the plot as to stifle my urge to actually, you know, write. I'm beginning to wonder, though, if the enforced layoff during December was either too long or too short.
This story has an almost irresistible immediacy that's pulling at me to keep going. That's why I think the layoff I had from the other story was either too long or too short. Too long, because the story cooled for me. I'm finding it hard to generate the enthusiasm I had at the end of November. Too short, because maybe with more time away, it'll feel fresh and interesting again (hmmm, can something be both too long and too short??).
To make a long story short (too late!), I'm going to trust my gut and keep working on this new story. I figure if I stall out, I can always go back and work on my original story. Maybe even go back and forth until they're both finished. All I know is if I don't keep making some kind of forward progress, I'll find myself stalled out on both of them. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen this year.
So, how's it going with you?
8 comments:
Debbie, I think giving yourself permission to work on the one that is prominent and exciting is what you should do. Forward momentum is hard to get sometimes and if you've found a project that has you pushing forward then go with it.
You have that luxury since you aren't under contract or aren't working on a series.
Go with what works. I finally found all the answers I need at the moment for my book so I am moving forward once again. Yeah!
I completely agree with Paty. If you've got motivation for a story, stick with it.
If you have ideas or thoughts on the other story scribble them down somewhere and let them percolate.
Debbie, I am on the fence. Part of me understands the attraction of a bright and shiny new idea. The other part of me has heard your last idea and been intrigued by it and wonder if you should stick with it.
Frankly, every book idea appears like the best of everything until suddenly, the easy ideas stop and you are left to reinvent the wheel. It happens to all of us. I'm not sure where you are on your journey, whether you need encouragement to rethink and re-plot or if you are trying things on (like clothes in a dressing room) to find a fit. I understand you did not really ask for advice, but really, in almost every book I sell, I reach a point where I would happily change it for anything else.
So ultimately, of course, it is your decision. I have great faith and hope in you no matter what you choose to pursue. Good luck!
Debbie, I think writing is a learning process, and as such, it takes each of us different amounts of time and different experiences to figure out how we work best. I consider myself a very organic writer, and I know early on if an idea is going to work or not. If it's not, I don't continue with it. That said, I can only think of one time an idea didn't work. I wrote about two chapters and bagged the project to work on something else, which took off (and which became STOLEN HEAT). That project I bagged? It was STOLEN SEDUCTION. But I came back to it a year later and with time and a different perspective was able to make it work.
Alice is right when she says that ALL writers lose the excitement for a project at some point. For me it usually happens around chpt 5 (and then every chapter thereafter, LOL). It would be easy to bag the entire thing when I lose that excitement and be distracted by that shiny new idea. When I was writing ENTWINED recently and was trying to finish it, my CP told me numerous times on IM chat, "FOCUS. FINISH THE DAMN BOOK. Stop thinking about those other characters!!" (This conversation always popped up after I IM'd her and said, "Guess what! I have this new AWESOME idea I can't wait to write!")
The point is, writers write. It's what we do. And it's not always fun. It's HARD work. Grueling work. Hair-pulling, eye-brow yanking, why-the-hell-do-I-torture-myself-with-this work. New, shiny, distracting ideas are not hard work. They're fun. They're light. They're a strip tease, taunting you with the, "how bad could I really be?" line. But the reality is, if they keep you away from what you've dedicated yourself to...then they're very very bad.
That said...perhaps this is your subconscious telling you your original idea doesn't have enough story or depth at this time to work in the long run. And if that's so, then I say go with the new idea. But if it's just a shiny new idea distracting you, then maybe you should think about what your goals really are and what you're going to do to reach them.
Everyone has had such great advice! I love to read about your enthusiasm and excitement on a project :) Have you ever tried working on two things at once? I've thought about this myself, wondering if it would keep things fresh - going back and forth when new ideas pop up. Seems pretty tricky though, to keep percolating on two ideas. Best of luck!! Just follow your gut :)
Ah, the devil of something shiny and new on one shoulder and the angel of perseverance on the other. Or vice versa!
As others have already said, the only person who can ultimately answer the "which one to pursue" question is you.
In addition to the series and the novella I have scheduled to work on, I have a cabinet of about a dozen stories that each have a box of notes and newspaper clippings and such, as well as a couple drawers of ideas that range from a few scribbled notes to 10 or 20 pages that I'll get to someday--or combine with another story. Ideas are everywhere!
But I remember going through a phase of questioning what story to work on next. I didn't know what had the best chance of catching an editor or agent's eye. I wasn't confident enough that any of my stories were marketable. And if something went wrong, I wasn't sure how to fix it.
For me, that waffling was part of the learning process--both in learning the craft of writing and in learning what I wanted from my writing career.
So take heart, trust your instincts, and go with what feels right to you. If it doesn't work out, you can always change directions. :)
I have been in this situation MANY times before, and I think especially because of being on the fairly young side of the writer community. I would get BRILLIANT ideas and begin chugging along, totally hyped. Later, I come back and realize it's all wrong. No conflict, it's inaccurate, etc. Only recently have I been able to plot out entire stories and really KNOW they're going to work. My biggest problem with shiny ideas is that I'm still in the middle of maturing and learning. For me, there's been so much growth that things change and don't work anymore. So that's my excuse. ^_^
And maybe your story is SUPPOSED to transform. I've had so many little ideas spring into something huge and totally different than it was originally. And that's okay, because that's the character's story.
I say run with shiny ideas when there's a need behind it. Chase it if it has a dream. Drop everything and give your all if it beckons and challenges you. Shinys can be bad (like Eli said) but sometimes, it's exactly the way it should be.
Ah, the lure of the SHINY and NEW! Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and advice. While I didn't specifically ask for advice, I was definitely hoping to hear some. I've been in this situation before -- and posted about it in this very blog -- and hesitated to do so again, but the strength of the new idea was like getting hit over the head with a sledge hammer.
I'm going to be mulling this one over for awhile, thanks to some very thoughtful responses from y'all. I think I'll ultimately decide to work on a single project, but until I get to the point where I'm certain I know which one that is, I'm going to continue to work on both. I'll keep you updated on how it goes at the Saturday check-in.
Thanks, guys!
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