Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Rants....can I?

How many of you start writing a novel, you just love EVERYTHING about it, and then..horrors, you lose interest?

Maybe I should explain in more detail?

I started Philestia with only pure love in my heart. I realized it had flaws, and I didn't expect it to do for me what The Hunger Games did for Suzanne Collins. But I adore everything about it.

But, as in every relationship, you will have that wee wedge that starts tearing you apart. You can either toss the wedge out of your life, or leave for the wedge. But what if you don't realize the wedge IS a wedge? As in my case, what if it started at first as a innocent, helpless, struggling plot idea? Just an idea, mind you!

Ah, but even Great tigers start small.

Masqueraders. It was just a rough, course idea. Mutants who didn't Want to be mutants, and a super cool cat woman. That was it! Just that!

That little idea was the starting wedge.

The next problem came dressed in deerstalker cap, Victorian gowns, and a bad guy named Moriarty. My 'Miss Holmes' idea. At this point it was just a 'what-if'. A small conversation with my dearest friend about Sherlock Holmes brought up the idea of a Holmes sister. Little did I know it would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

I shamefully tell you, I haven't even thought about Philestia in a whole week. What do I do? I've ditched too many novels. I don't know how I could ever actually finish and publish a novel if I keep this up. Should I just lay Philestia aside until my obsession with Masqueraders and Miss Holmes cools? Or should I push my other ideas aside, and consent are solely on Philestia? But, I don't know if I can do that either. I'd feel trapped writing just one novel.

Darn it, being a writer is harder the it looks.

9 comments:

ashley tahg said...

Sorry for posting twice in a row....-blush-

Mia said...

Girl, you tell a story I RELATE to!

I've reached this point where I take an idea at face value and try not to have it grow too big for its britches. I write for a page(or however the muses lead), and be done. If I feel (yes, feel, not think) I can add more, I go ahead. So I'm super lax, but also pretty content. ;) There is a time to put the pedal to the metal and produce something editable/worthwhile, but I guess that takes judgement -- IS this idea sustainable? (Not to sound like Al Gore or anything...)

As long as I can write for joy, I'll do it...conditional, but fulfilling. :) As long as you love it and don't have an editor breathing down your neck, write in scribbles until novel passion comes back.

Ahh. This comment is a rant in and of itself...sorry...

I don't mind x2 blog posters...your thoughts are fun to read! :D

Ellyn said...

It's okay, Ashley! What you have described is common for many of us!

I think if you do eventually want to get published, you're going to have to start "dragging your muse home by the hair" as someone eloquently put it. But remember no writing is a waste! Even all your starts of stories are helping you get experience.

Marian said...

I have the same problem! I must have about 7+ novels-in-progress; it's rather sad. What can truly help me stay motivated is *not* re-reading it multiple times. It's hard sticking to that rule, though.

Anonymous said...

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Unknown said...

Yep! I think every author has that problem in one point of their writing or another:)

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thefallingmovement said...

Oh this happens to me so many times! I've also managed to stick it out to the end and write a few (maybe a couple out of about 50 attempts!) full novels that I actually think are pretty good. But then I haven't done anything with them! For example a few years ago I completed a novel called "Grimm Blade: Rapid Descent" which kind of had the whole "fairy-tales gone bad" approach to it, coupled with some mythological trivia, and a knife which gave the bearer superpowers - it was so GOOD and I LOVED it! But I haven't done anything with it since... I think I started to work on a sequel and stopped about halfway through the first chapter...
I am sorry for talking about myself for such a long time... Your story sounds really cool by the way! Keep up the writing!

Wade Allen said...

Don't feel bad. Every great writer will have their flaws, just like every one else in life. What I like to do is simply lay the book aside until I am inspired again. Keep working on those other books and someday come back to this one.

The Mad Elvish Poet said...

Have you read Enola Holmes? It's a similar concept to your idea. I hate it when that happens.

I have the *exact. same. problem.* What I usually do, is I write up the beginning of my idea, and any scenes that just won't leave me alone, then send them to my editor (otherwise known as my 12yr-old writing friend) She reads them and lets me know if the idea's any good, meanwhile, I keep working on my current baby. If the current baby is being stubborn *cough*Robin!*cough* I put her in time-out and work on someone else. Then she usually gets jealous and starts acting up again.