Anarchy
So yesterday was my Come to Jesus Meeting with Oldest Daughter. No, SHE was not the recipient of the Come to Jesus Talk. I was.
In about two weeks, I need to turn in my rewrite of Star-Crossed, my Penguin 2011 release. I have been meandering all over this book all summer. I had oldest read it because she is the same age as my heroine. She loved parts but it was meh-ish for her. My rewrite letter had a few specifics, but there were some things that my editor wrote that didn't have an obvious fix. My own feelings about the book were vague. Each SCENE worked, but stringing them together wasn't working.
All summer, my daughter would say, "When are we having our meeting about the book?" And all summer, my brain hurt and I would say, "I'm not yet sure what I'm doing so . . . soon." I felt like I was swimming in murky water.
Oldest leaves for college again on Friday night. So this week it's now or never. Come to Jesus. So, we had our meeting. And in the end, she said the book had some plot issues but she didn't KNOW my characters. And if you know what my ususal reviews are, that is always where I tend to get a thumbs up. Character.
I ended up crawling on the floor to sit next to my daughter near a sunny window. And we brainstormed. She had solutions, but she kept saying, "What's THAT look for?" [INSERT my face all pensive and panicked.]
And then POP. Out of the blue I said, "What if this was set in London?"
And then POP, "And what if her uncle is her mother's brother, not her father's?"
And then one, two, three, four, certain problems fell away. And then I said, "What if she is a violinist?" [totally new character element].
"And what if August's father is not agoraphobic but physically disabled?" And then pop, pop, pop . . . problem after problem fell away. And then, it was like bursting up through the murky water into the air up top. I "saw" the book. In its entirety. Saw it. Knew it. Knew the characters. Knew it all. But all this summer? Hell.
My general feeling after yesterday was . . . three things tend to happen with mehs:
1. You abandon the book (had I not been under contract, I don't know what I would have done)
2. You continue as is because it's "good enough." (Not what I recommend.)
3. You are willing to COMMIT to anarchy for a while in the name of the greater good.
I did #3. I was willing, I have to say, to start at the first word and change EVERYTHING even if the process has not been fun.
My problem had been a somewhat stubborn acceptance that some of the main elements, even setting, were "fixed." When I let go of that, and was willing to wander through in a state of disorder, the result was not only freeing, it was exciting. I KNOW what I'm doing now, and I can't wait to work on it today.
Thoughts? Ever give in to anarchy for the greater good?
32 comments:
It is awesome - not that you can, are able and are willing to change these things, but that Oldest Daughter can see into your story with the insight and intensity that it needed.
You're so lucky (but you know that.)
I have a great CP, but someone as vested in you as O.D. is -- well -- you just can't find that in every violin section, can you?
Can't wait to read this book!!!
I've probably "given into anarchy," but not with regards to writing.
Your predicament gives me pause as an un-pubbed author. It makes me wonder if I could handle situations such as yours, once I'm published. Will I be ready for that challenge, and all the other things I don't consider when dreams of publication dance in my head? (Marketing, signings, dead lines, etc.)
Am I the only writer who at times feels completely unprepared for the other side of publication?
Amy:
She kept saying they each needed a "thing"--a passion. And I realized that each of them did not. Something separate from the relationship . . . something where, when you are in love, it might represent finding compromise to make it work since it's time away from your other passion. She had great insights. I mean, aren't all people with real passions more interesting?
E
Kath:
Yeah. File this summer under "What they don't tell you in Author School."
And again, my editor really liked it. But I felt this PAIN in my heart like something wasn't right and it bugged the crap out of me.
E
When something isn't moving me I generally abandon it. That's why I have so many 5K word false starts in My Documents. :(
I have a good feeling about my current wip, though. So far I have an Elvis impersonator, a cop, and a high school science teacher.
And a monster.
How can I lose?
So is it now Anarchy in the UK?
I know. My punk rock roots need coloring...
Two things.
One - I LOVE that you and OD get to share your work. So many of us can't share our parents' work or our own work with our kids. I'm so happy for you over that that I'm not even envious. :)
Two - I LOVE how real your characters are in every book. I really do believe that I could go into the local dive or radio station or wherever and meet them. So, yea, we'll get more real ones next spring.
Is this a Liza Conrad book?
Penn
Yay!!
How wonderful that you have a great brainstorming partner in your daughter!
It's so scary to do that, but I have gone there before, too. And you're right, it often leads to a better book in the end. Or if you hate it, at least you know you tried something and you can always revert a previous draft :P More than likely though, I like something about the new one *more* tho, and it stays. Mostly. Good luck with that!!
Jude:
I think there's a danger in abandoning too many projects because you don't go through the real horrible push-through stage. I think Mark blogged on this a while back. I have abandoned a few things, but I often go back to them too.
Good luck with Elvis. :-)
E
Allen:
My Baby Girl is in a UK phase. :-)
E
P.S. The Clash, baby!
Penn:
It's a late-YA (I think adults will like it, too), but I am pubbing it under Erica Orloff. It's about a Book of Hours from Heloise and Abelard and a young couple on the hunt for its origins.
E
magolla:
She rocks. And we like the same kind of books, too.
She is a HUGE Atwood fan.
E
Celeste:
The new one sparks my excitement more, you're right!
E
Erica-- I want to live in your house. I think I need a brainstorming session with your daughter.
Yet another gem I'm tucking away upstairs. Thanks.
Please don't post any more geniousness until I return in two weeks. Thanks. :)
Yes, Jude & Erica, I did blog about that recently. I've been having finishing so I just picked one--China Fire--and said, "I'm finishing it, come hell or high water." (Or whatever cliche you prefer). It's still a struggle, but at least it's progressing. Will it be any good?
It's hard to say. I'm over 200 pages in and I'm not entirely sure I know what the damned book's about and that's rare that I'm this far in with no idea what's really going on. But since I was floundering around anyway, I've decided at least to flounder around with a direction in mind. It might be a waste of time, but sometimes I just have to finish something for fear I'll get too accustomed to NOT finishing things, good or bad. And it's probably better than I think it is.
Erica, you hit my nail on the head: Finishing. It's all about "pushing through" the process, because for me a story left undone is a room full of characters who have no exit in sight. And call me crazy (you know it's true), but I think of my characters as if they are living, and that said, deserve a respectful outcome, otherwise I may just as well draw stick figures or go back to playing with Barbie dolls.
I think it is believing in the characters that makes me push through. I have a love/hate relationship with Trinidad, but by God I want to see his walls fall and learn more about him.
Which makes me think: who are we as authors to think we're going to learn about our characters any faster than we might learn about a real person? Making friends takes time.
When those "pop" ideas come, you have to go with them. It must be great to have someone to talk to like that. With my last book, instead of sending a few chapters to my one CP at a time, I waited to send the entire ms. It's harder to see those bigger picture problems in a few chapters a week.
I told a writing friend recently my problem is that I write the novel in my head. All of the big stuff gets written down. I neglect the little things believing they aren't worth showing on the page. So, no I've never went Anarchy on a novel before, but I've had to write down the cliff notes to make the story better.
I think tossing the whole idea is easier. Painful, but easier. When I have to go back and flesh out the story I have to find the cracks of when the little things would/could have happened.
In a way. I tend to throw it all away and start fresh, making sure everything works as I go along.
I rarely have the time, but making a complete mess and writing way too many words and way too many scenes makes a better book, for me.
Heather:
She has the makings of a good editor.
E
Melanie:
Only brain mush for the next two weeks.
E
Mark:
BTW, I have deciced to add a prologue. Not the one you suggested, but a different one. :-)
And yeah . . . I totally agree about not finishing becoming a habit.
E
kath:
I think of mine as real, too, which is why it bugged me so much that they felt a little flat.
E
starbucks:
Fascinating observation, but yes . . . .
E
Edie:
Generally, I do the "few chapters a week" thing, too. So yeah, this was a treat in that sense.
E
Melissa:
I sometimes rush on the story and forget the details, too. Then I go back and breathe a little more life into the scenes.
E
Natasha:
I had time with this one because my editor was on maternity leave . . . so it worked out fatefully.
E
Awesome!! I'm so happy the brainstorming worked!!
I wish your oldest daughter was around to brainstorm with me. My book has a couple of problems that I'm having trouble fixing.
Guess it's time for Anarchy!
Nadine:
A little anarchy can be healthy.
;-)
E
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