And sometimes, when I see my students reaching back through the misty years (to the stuff they wrote in college, usually), I want to grab their hands and beg them to stop. Retrieving an old subject, one that still haunts you, will work only if you begin afresh without looking back. Otherwise, you will waste energy troubleshooting some other writer's work--because you are no longer that writer.So on April 18th, I looked at my list of stories in first draft stage.
- Zy's Novel
- Strix beginning story
- Canterbury murder mystery
- Acadiana Medieval Faire 2008 Educators' Guide
- Underneath the Colored Lights
- Zy's vacation story
- The Chosen
- Strix: Forget the Sun
- Evil Jack: For Worse
- Wars Are Won By Those Who Dare: Turbo
This realization fought badly with my "must-finish-the-story" drive. I had at some point gone back and edited fanfiction created at the same time or earlier. That's okay, that's what my fanfiction projects are for--trying out techniques that aren't ready for original fiction. Some how this continuous rewriting got moved to the original fiction. So why is my "must-finish-the-story" drive being triggered? Why did the idea of setting aside stuff I can't do anything more with--especially after I finished it a decade ago--make part of me throw an inner tantrum?
Zy's Novel doesn't count: it was never finished at any point I worked on it. Zy's vacation short story likewise doesn't count. Rewriting "The Case of the Hideous Medallion" started it, but now it has a new crime and place in that universe's timeline.
Strix doesn't count because I'm reworking the universe and changing formats to a webcomic if I ever find an artist.
"The Chosen" counts. I finished that novel and it was bad. Not horrible idea bad, but a-first-attempt-hide-it-under-the-bed bad. Yes, I could keep it on the list to completely rewrite it, but the rewrite never grasped hold of my brain with new characters and new situations like Strix did. Time to put it away.
"Underneath the Colored Lights" I feel more conflicted about. I finished the story, loved the imagery and characters, should be a strong regional piece and sellable, but it flopped in the beta reading stage. At that point, you are supposed to rewrite. But have I waited too long? Am I better off filing it away as a good practice attempt? Can I afford to?
I'm looking at the "Need to Submit" List, which I should change to the "Need to Retire" List. If I throw everything into the filing cabinet, what will be left to mail out in June? Okay so I'm going to let those three go out and earn rejections in June.
And to deal with the ambivalance over "Underneath the Colored Lights," here it is, published through Google Docs. Read it and answer the poll. I'll give the poll a month while I go file "The Chosen" away.
6 comments:
I don't remember "Underneath" being that bad - I rather liked it.
But I have to agree with Miss Monica. It IS time to drop the old and start again. Cut the ties, put it down to experience and move on to a fresh, new project.
And, don't wig, but saying "oh this doesn't count"...weeeell...darling, it's your inner control freak going NAY!
Let them go. Wash the clutter into some nice, solid archive boxes and sit down with a fresh piece of paper. New character, new world, new story.
I'd like to see who you are as a writer now.
Monica is my hero :)
Not wigging. The first idea for Zy's Novel had a mastermind villian that was a knockoff of the Master (not that I had seen any Doctor Who episodes he was in prior to 1994; maybe a conversation somewhere?) that pulled Al Capone into the future and outer space. Everything since then is new writing. It's just had a long incubation period. Strix is a new format and turning into an expanded universe.It may not actually go any where, but right now it exists as a pressure valve.
And yes, it is my inner control freak reacting or possible my outer control freak. I want a novel I can show off. I want a novel I can send to agents. So far all I have finished is the Chosen and the fanfiction Family, Friends, and Foes. But I have to finish the bloody novel, and I'm almost halfway there. To quit on it means give up on being published because I don't have the guts.
As far as new stuff goes, revisions are coming along on "Blue Man on the Porch;" I just haven't typed them up. "Covenant of the Restless" needs editing and possibly expanding, and I still don't know what to do with it in the long run. I do need some 16th century Dutch swear words. Right now, I've been so swamped with projects, something from scratch just hasn't happened. I'm not ruling out the rest of the year, just saying that stress is not conductive to the Muse.
And I was told "Underneath" was too easy to solve and Ballard came across as too smart to believe something so dumb by a mystery nut. Those are elements that might impede a sale.
I guess it depends where you are selling it; but yeah, if you've done the dash and got no takers, then put it away and keep writing. Fresh new stuff is good!
I can understand the feeling of being swamped - I am that myself at the moment. But I took the first step back today. It did involve starting another blog, but it's going to be working blog :)
I can understand your need to finish Zy. Just as long as you are finishing it for the right reasons. You've proved that you can complete a project, so if you are just doing it for that reason, then stop.
If you are doing it because you love the story then keep going :)
Have I given the impression I don't love Zy's Novel? I do, but it's frustrating because I'm not used to spurts. I'm having to learn a new creative habit to get it done and it's quirky. But Chapter Nine is finished for this draft and Chapter Ten just gave me a new character twisty I had so not outlined. I don't chat it up because I need to keep the momentum on the book.
Now, "Underneath the Colored Lights" has never made the rounds. Hence the poll question.
Oh...I thought you had sent it outm hence why the bad reviews.
If that's the case, then do a revise and send it out to all the zines you can think of. Flood, take the feedback (an hopefully the offer) and close the book on it :)
PS can you put UtCL up on googledocs? I picked up a few things in my read through that might help.
Post a Comment