Monday, November 18, 2013

Give up or Keep Writing

I haven't been able to write fiction that much lately, partly because I've been immersed in my other book: my dissertation, which might as well be titled The Book That Will Help Cure Insomnia or I Can Over-Analyze That Book in Five Footnotes.

I did write drafts for two novels. I say "drafts" because neither of them have been fully revised yet. I know how I'm going to revise the first one, but I've been struggling with the second one on the few occasions I have had time to work on it. I've started to wonder if I should just scrap that entire manuscript and focus on the first one, and then start another story later.

It's hard for me to just walk away from that second manuscript, though. I really like the characters, and there are several pages that I'm proud of. A part of me thinks that if I give up on the story now, I'll go into withdrawal, like the time I tried to give up coffee but only made it a few days before I ran with open arms to the nearest Starbucks and practically shrieked, "I don't care what kind of coffee you give me. Just give me the BIGGEST ONE with the MOST CAFFEINE!" (I wish I could say I am making that up. Giving up caffeine would be like saying that I'm going to retire early, and just the thought of not working AT ALL made me throw up in my mouth a little. What would I DO if I retired? RELAX? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)

Even though I do like several parts of this story, there are other parts that don't feel right or ring true. I could just take out the parts that don't work, or maybe I really could throw out the manuscript altogether. I also considered keeping at least some of the characters and putting them in a new story that I've been thinking about for a while now.

Maybe one reason I'm struggling with what to do is because even though I've left some stories unfinished in the past, it's hard to give up on this one. I've been working on it for a long time. I don't like the idea of quitting, partly because I'm a workaholic. On the other hand, I have quit jobs before, like my job at the Tourist Trap. But that was partly because if I worked there a day longer I just might have ended up hurling souvenirs at people. It's easy to quit a job that you hate. It's not so easy to give up on something that's important to you.

But I know that even if I do give up on this manuscript, that doesn't mean I'm giving up on writing altogether. If I tried to do that, I really WOULD go into withdrawal, and then the baristas at Starbucks would freak out and run away screaming at the sight of me.

What about you? Have you ever stopped working on a manuscript? What makes you decide whether to keep working on it or move on to another story?

14 comments:

  1. It's not a decision you need to make now. I have mss I've shelved, and at least one I know I'll go back to some day, when the time is right for it. :)

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  2. Hi Rachel,
    You're right. I suppose I could just put the manuscript away for a while; maybe it'll be easier to work on it after taking a break from it. And at least then I can focus on the other manuscript I've been working on.

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  3. Never give up. Put it aside, come back to it when you're ready. I'm working on a ms from 2006 (I know because the footer of every printed page tells me so), and I slashed - SLASHED! - half of the plot and I'm slowly changing it into a completely different novel. You are completely in charge of what you write, so if you don't like part of it, you don't have to keep it. (It's easier to delete words when you've got more distance, I promise.)

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    1. Hi Annalisa,
      Thanks for the advice! I think that maybe I should finish revising the first manuscript before I complete the second one; that will give me some time away from that second story. I especially like how you said that I'm in charge of what I write; sometimes I feel like I'm not in charge, because I don't always know what I'm doing. But I know that you're right, which makes me feel better.

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  4. I agree with Annalisa. Her first 3 words are a part of an article I wrote for a speech class. We as writers can never give up, its not who we are. I agree just shelve it for a while. Although I have shelves, cyber of course, of several stories that went stale for a while. Those characters while unforgettable did find their way into other stories, and stories where they are a much better fit. Characters never die just plot lines and unworkable stories.

    I so enjoy coming here and connecting with you, you are my inspiration. You keep me centered. And make me laugh when I want to quit.

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    1. Hi Debi,
      Aw, thanks! That's so nice of you to say! And thanks for the advice too! I think that one reason it's hard for me to let go of this manuscript is because of the characters. Like you said, characters don't die; they've become real to me, and I feel like they're going to stay in my head until I write down a story for them.

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  5. Blogger ate my comment—GRR! But! after writing a mini-dissertation of my own writing struggles/progress, my main argument was that every word you write, whether published or not, gets you closer to your goal. So, my deleted (never to be seen again) comment actually makes my point better than I ever could. Keep going—maybe put book 2 in the drawer for a while, but don't give up on it. You may find material that will be helpful later.

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    1. Hi Anna,
      Sorry about the blogger thing! That's frustrating! I think I will set aside that manuscript for now, because there are lines and other passages in it that I really like. Maybe I could put them in a different story. I think another reason I was tempted to give up on this manuscript is that the discouragement I often feel over my dissertation carried over to this other manuscript. That is, sometimes it's difficult to keep writing the dissertation, but I know that I have to keep going.

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  6. I don't write books. But if I'm having problems with a piece, I get up and do something else. Usually watch some TV with Tim. When I come back to it, the changes I need to make are much more obvious, segues present themselves, etc.

    Back when I wrote articles for a community paper, I'd always get stumped for the headlines. So I'd take a break and shower. Usually while I was lathering my hair I'd finally think of something.

    And if it's not all clear immediately, come back to it. Even set a date to come back to it. Just don't stress that it's not all falling out of your keyboard keys on its own.

    It's not meant to be easy. To use an old quote from a sportswriter named Reid Smith, "Writing is easy. You just sit at the typewriter and open a vein."

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    1. Hi Abigail,
      I like that quote from Reid Smith; it's definitely accurate. And thank you for the advice; it's difficult for me to take breaks from work, seeing as how I am a workaholic. But on the other hand, sometimes I take breaks from my manuscripts in order to do other work, like my dissertation. So maybe I'll come up with more ideas for my novel as I'm writing my dissertation.

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  7. I've walked away from projects, but usually because I'm walking towards another. It's natural. Some stories grab you, some don't. Just don't walk away from them all.

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    1. Hi Libby,
      I actually did consider walking away from all my fiction manuscripts for the rest of the school year at least, so that I could focus on my dissertation. I thought that maybe I should just write fiction during the summer. But I don't think I could make it that long without writing fiction. And I like your point about how you walk towards other projects; that's actually why I started the second manuscript. That is, I was feeling a little stuck on the first one, so I started writing another story in the meantime.

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  8. I stopped working on my first adult paranormal novel for many reasons. I loved the characters, and it had it's stellar moments, but in the end, it was just too broken. I have it in the back of my mind that I'll go back to it someday. Maybe. I'm writing YA contemporary now, and I'm so much happier.

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    1. Hi Kari Marie,
      Sorry about the late response! I was doing work for my website job all day yesterday. Anyway, it's great that you're happier writing YA contemporary; it's always much more fun to write when it makes you happy. Maybe one or more of your characters from that other novel could show up in one of the stories you're writing now.

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