Please take a seat
If you’ve been following this blog the last few weeks, you probably remember that I was working on a project called MG until a subplot spiraled out of control and I decided there was a book between DH (the story my agent has) and MG. I outlined this new book, tentatively titled CW, and then put it to the side because Nanowrimo was weeks away from starting.
During those two weeks, a new character walked up and said “hey, while you wait, here’s my story.” Then proceeded to tell me about how dark and twisty she was. She was also kick ass and a great main character, so I wrote a short story for her set in the world of my novels but with none of the usual characters. Great, that was fun, and I finished just in time to start nano.
Now she won’t shut up, and she brought another friend who is also begging for her own story.
For awhile now I have been afraid if DH doesn’t sell, that will be the end. All my energy and thoughts have been tied up with that main character and I have a rough idea where I want the story to be as far as five or so books from now. If no one wants the first book, I can’t sell the rest, and what if I never have another good story idea again? (I have a file full of story ideas, but nothing novel length or really eye catching.)
Maybe these new characters are my subconscious’s form of encouragement… It could have picked a better time. Now my main character, the one I’m actually writing about, won’t talk to me. I keep trying to tempt her with chocolate, but she has clamed up. I think she realizes I’ve lost faith in her story. Which isn’t completely true; I think it can be fixed, I’m just not sure how.
So I’ve decided, once I finish CW (and I will finish CW, I refuse not to) it, DH, and the outline for MG are going in the drawer to be reevaluated at a later date. Okay, so I can’t really put DH in a drawer as it is still being shopped by editors, but unless I get some good critique advice on it, I’m not going to edit it anymore for awhile. After I have a complete first draft for CW, then I plan to start a new story with one of the new characters.
Until then, I would very much like to say to these two kick ass ladies (and any other perspective new main characters) “Please take a seat. I will get to you in due time.”
During those two weeks, a new character walked up and said “hey, while you wait, here’s my story.” Then proceeded to tell me about how dark and twisty she was. She was also kick ass and a great main character, so I wrote a short story for her set in the world of my novels but with none of the usual characters. Great, that was fun, and I finished just in time to start nano.
Now she won’t shut up, and she brought another friend who is also begging for her own story.
For awhile now I have been afraid if DH doesn’t sell, that will be the end. All my energy and thoughts have been tied up with that main character and I have a rough idea where I want the story to be as far as five or so books from now. If no one wants the first book, I can’t sell the rest, and what if I never have another good story idea again? (I have a file full of story ideas, but nothing novel length or really eye catching.)
Maybe these new characters are my subconscious’s form of encouragement… It could have picked a better time. Now my main character, the one I’m actually writing about, won’t talk to me. I keep trying to tempt her with chocolate, but she has clamed up. I think she realizes I’ve lost faith in her story. Which isn’t completely true; I think it can be fixed, I’m just not sure how.
So I’ve decided, once I finish CW (and I will finish CW, I refuse not to) it, DH, and the outline for MG are going in the drawer to be reevaluated at a later date. Okay, so I can’t really put DH in a drawer as it is still being shopped by editors, but unless I get some good critique advice on it, I’m not going to edit it anymore for awhile. After I have a complete first draft for CW, then I plan to start a new story with one of the new characters.
Until then, I would very much like to say to these two kick ass ladies (and any other perspective new main characters) “Please take a seat. I will get to you in due time.”
Comments
I'd rewritten STRAY half a dozen times, and had finished the rough draft of ROGUE. But when I queried STRAY, I got nothing but form rejections (from queries, then from requested fulls and partials). So I decided I was done with STRAY. If I didn't get any hits from the queries that were currently out, I wouldn't send any more.
I moved on to what is now Book on Spec, trying to write the first half of it for NaNo.
Then Miriam called about STRAY, and BoS flew out the window.
I'd completely given up on my werecats, but then Miriam pitched it to six editors, and in 11 days, we had an offer. Then we had a four-way auction. On a book I'd given up on.
Maybe putting it in a drawer for a while is exactly what you SHOULD do. You can always go back to it. And with any luck, you'll have to, because someone will have bought it. ;-)
Good luck!
It must have been so amazing going from giving up on STRAY to having a three book deal. (I could only dream)