Kicking and Screaming
No, this is not a post about Demon Baby.
It's about works in progress. The ones we avoid. And the ones we should avoid.
A certain someone (ahem . . . you know who you are) . . . has been sharing with me chapters of a potential work-in-progress. Now I like ALL of this writers' work. But this particular piece is stunning. It somehow mixes the most divine literary writing with a really wonderful fantasy plot with a lot of action. When I read it, I get chills.
A certain other someone (ahem . . . you know who you are) has been writing middle-grade for a while and recently shared a mere three pages of a potential adult novel. Holy crap but the voice was awesome.
I myself have a book I have started and stopped two times. My critique group knows it as my Garden Book. I know what the problem is (now . . . two years later) and how to fix it. But I also know the work involved. However, I think there is really something there.
On the flip side, I have writers share chapters with me all the time that . . . well, I don't get chills over. They're not bad writers . . . but the "It" factor, which cannot be taught, isn't there on THAT particular book--and certainly only in my opinion as a reader. I sometimes wish I could say, "No . . . go find your voice in another novel. A different one. Don't push on this one so hard."
Sometimes, we resist our best work. Maybe we KNOW how hard it will be. Or maybe we just don't think we're writer enough for it. Or maybe . . . all I know is we're kicking and screaming.
And sometimes, we're kicking and screaming just as hard to hold onto something we shouldn't.
And it's the wise writer who can figure out which is which.
Thoughts?
26 comments:
And figuring that out can be what drives one batty! I tend to second-guess myself - so there's always an ounce of doubt along with confidence. In a way I think it buffers any blows.
I've started a couple of books with and idea, world, and characters that I really, really loved. But I can sense when something just isn't right, and that I should put it down and move some ideas around.
I had a fantasy in the works that would have been great...had I known how to go about it. It was nice, but I couldn't pull up a plotline, and when that happens it usually means it's time to rethink the characters. Boring. That's all I can say. Pretty. But boring.
I worry that these are things that I might not be able to tell about my own writing. I can spot great voice or the absence of the 'It' factor in another's writing, but in my own-- I don't know if I have the perspective. Am I not sure about my own writing because I lack the confidence, or because it is not there? Thank goodness for critiques.
Or maybe this ability evolves as writing evolves--over time and maturity. Maybe I just need to grow.
Hi Amy:
I "think" I have gotten to the point where I can tell the difference, though occasionally, if I return to something and start it at a different point in the narrative, it seems to jumpstart it.
E
JT:
I have a pretty but boring abandoned book. And I have one that has a kick-ass character--but no plot. LOL!
E
Heather:
I do think it grows. I think when you "nail" a couple . . . then you start to discern when you're off your game.
E
It's been a year since I last read my fantasy short story. Thought I would revisit it today to see why it never worked.
Richmond:
Good luck!
E
I've found that putting a WIP away and moving on is a good thing. It gives me time to grow as a writer and often the growth that takes place after a year or two of writing and reading allows me to figure out what's wrong with that WIP. And, sometimes a year or two of reading shows me that a WIP isn't quite as unique or important as I originally thought and needs to stay under the bed.
Timely. I've been thinking lately that if I'm having success with Derek Stillwater, I should just continue trying to make those books better and try to focus on expanding outward from there (although the SF novel is still in play) in the genre I'm strong in instead of bouncing around. Well, that's how I feel TODAY, anyway.
The point is that I agree with you. Sometimes, if you step back, you might be able to see that you're actually really good at something and it might not necessarily be where you're putting your energy.
Mark -- that last paragraph resonated with me. I've been futzing around with a women's fiction story for three years -- lotsof energy put into that work, and yet there was something that was off with it. i put it away, and wrote an historical women's fiction. I love reading historical fiction, but honestly thought it took too much work (research) for me to actually write one. Bottom line -- I think the historical is my best work yet. Everything in me tells me this is my niche/genre. A couple weeks ago I began thinking about adding an historical element to my WIP, and voila -- there was the story I've been trying to tell.
All that to say, I totally agree with your statement "Sometimes, if you step back, you might be able to see that you're actually really good at something and it might not necessarily be where you're putting your energy." Thanks for saying that -- it really encouraged me this morning.
I go back and forth on this. I sometimes wonder if I'm in love with my story more than my actual book, but I don't want to give up on it yet. That said, I think my current wip has a better grasp of voice, but I know I'll need to go through on edits and make them more distinct.
Good post.
Most of the time I can tell if my story is about to jump the shark, but I have one I can't tell if it is brilliant and freshly done or horrible and useless. It seems strange to have such doubts and fears about a piece of work you can't stop writing.
Two crit groups were no help either. They loved it or hated it. No middle ground.
I wonder how large the multiple personality niche is?
Ha ha.
This has definitely been my issue lately. Here I am ... 10,000k into one project, with the whole thing pretty much laid out; another idea I really like, but hasn't clicked yet; and a growing nonfiction platform that seems promising.
And a limited number of hours in every day.
I'm not complaining. I still feel fortunate every day that I get to work in this business. But I lately have spent serious time wondering which direction I go in next. I feel like I'm in a room with several doors, and for once, I have the feeling I can actually pry one or two open. So it's a strategic decision, partly, and partly (like all things writerly) a gut decision.
Just this morning, I said to myself, "Self, sit down this weekend and figure it out."
Timely post.
Beth:
I think that finding your niche is so freeing, like you have this compass now.
E
Mark:
I think it's exciting about the new Derek coming out! I am looking forward to reading it.
E
Melanie:
Sometimes I love a story more than the writing. And it's a quest to bring my writing up to the level of my story, if that makes sense.
Allen:
I've jumped a few sharks in my day.
E
I'm with you Monkey.
I have SCAR to finish.I have three short story ideas. I have a new (gulp) middle grade project idea. My kids really want me to write it and it would be for them, for sure. If I sold it, then that's cool, too. A straight thriller idea, pretty well mapped out. And old stuff to keep submitting because I don't know when to let a dead horse lie.
But that's all good, right? Better to have a ton of ideas than none? Right? Right?
Sigh.
Lurker:
It's a really tough call with you, I know.
I sometimes feel the pull of multiple projects . . . drives me nuts sometimes.
E
Starbucks:
That's what I tell myself.
I have a (sold) YA.
A (sold) MG.
A proposal for a romance.
A thriller wip.
A women's fiction wip.
An idea for a later-YA that I think could be very, very fresh.
And a bunch of other stuff. LOL!
E
Some days, I think the writing is easy; it's the getting over my initial resistance that's the hardest part. Almost every day, it's a battle. One would think I hate writing, but no. I'm perfectly fine once I get going, but I absolutely HATE breaking through that resistance. Sometimes I think it's just my natural inclination to avoid conflict, LOL, and most (all?) story worlds are immersed in conflict.
Natasha:
Interesting . . . I have never had that problem . . . .
E
A compass. Yes, that's a perfect metaphor.
I'm perfectly fine once I get going, but I absolutely HATE breaking through that resistance.
I call this If I Can Just Get Through The First 1k druthers. Because really, once I get to 1k the writing flows easier. I can't remember why I didn't want to sit down and write. Before I know I've completed a scene or a chapter. Lol.
Anyway, the only way I can tell if the WIP is not working is if I can't get through the beginning. My process has yet to fail me. I can breeze through the chapters 1-3. Things start to get hairy in chapters 4-5. Chapter 6 I'm likely to hit a wall.
But if I can't even finish chapter 1 without fits, something is wrong with the story. Sometimes it can just be I've started to write like the book is an instruction pamphlet. "These characters are attracted, because I wrote it down. See." Or I haven't let the idea develop more.
I can just feel it in my writing. A good measuring stick is feeling lukewarm about the project as a whole.
WOW! You nailed that one. Have to say I feel like a big fraud now. I best get to writing and making those edits count.
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