I have worked on a book for two years, and now that it's just about finished, have come to the conclusion it's good for the trash bin. Am I upset? Not really. What upsets me is being blind to the book's faults for so long.
Actually, it won't get thrown away, not completely. But it needs Major revisions, and the best thing to do would be to take it apart at the seams, toss away everything I don't need and that doesn't advance the story, and start again from the bare bones.
I'll do that in September. Right now I'm going to work on a science fiction novella and finish that (my editor at Changeling Press will be So happy she doesn't have to harass me for six months, lol) And I also have the sequel to a YA book I need to start working on, because I'm going to be really brave and say that my book 'Horse Passages' (due out in December 2005) is going to do extraordinarily well, and my publisher will beg for a sequel.
I truly think that one must be brave in this business. How else can one throw away two years of work with a shrug?
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2 comments:
You've been writing long enough to know when something is lacking or failed in your work and how difficult it can be to throw out all those words you've laboured over for so long. But I think the truth is all successful writers go through this and it does take 'bravery' to face it. My Celtic novel has been sitting on the shelf for quite some time now for the same reason. I messed it up and have to go back and fix it but in the meantime I started this other novel which has taken up so much time to write. And even with it I know I have to do major cutting in the end. Writing is hard word. It just doesn't happen by osmosis. And I don't believe non-writers understand these kinds of difficulties, or how BRAVE we are in facing them and solving them.
Thanks Wynn!
Actually I lied when I said it was with a shrug.
But it really wasn't working. Period.
The Celtic novel sounds fun too - Celts were interesting people and the culture certainly lends itself to all sorts of stories.
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