Every now and then, we have to pick up an old manuscript and declare a do over. Either the manuscript wasn’t marketable as it was or needed work or we didn’t know how to fix it. Or just the general feeling that…something…was wrong with it.
I’ve landed directly in the middle of this conundrum right now. The first manuscript I ever attempted was called Every Witch Way and it was a woefully short, as yet incomplete chick-lit with dirty sex. I also envisioned it as a series with other women as the heroine in the others, which would annoy the bejesus out of me as a reader. For the most part, I look at this manuscript and say “what was I think?” The problem was, at the time I knew next to nothing about writing or the publishing industry, I just though it would be fun to try and write the kind of novel I liked to read. After eight very frustrating months, I had to set it aside as a wash. I couldn’t fix it and I didn’t know quite what was wrong with it.
To a great extent, I still don’t know what’s wrong with the plot, but I do know that as I wrote it, it would never ever ever ever sell. Ever. So I’m overhauling it from chick-lit to kinda romantic comedy in third person and adding the darker humor of the hero in there. When I first opened the file and looked at all I would have to do to it, I almost cried and called my writer friends and said I just couldn’t do it. I was going to pick another project for December. I made myself start on it and we’ll see how I do.
This was the book that just would not die. It nagged at me, the characters still wanted the story finished. I still love these characters after 18 months and I want to know how the story ends. I really do. Hey, I pants, so I don’t know yet how it all goes.
How about you? Do you have a manuscript that just won’t die? The nagging, whining, moaning, won’t leave your head story? How did or do you deal with it?
December 11th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
I blogged about the one I’m redoing. I’m in the misery right there with you, Crys.
But let me tell you about the REALLY HIDEOUS one I killed intentionally.
It was a cute start. Most of my books begin with a funny setup and then go whichever direction they are going to go.
This one went in the direction of disaster.
My heroine got really drunk and took a whole bunch of sedatives and ended up in the hospital. She wasn’t trying to commit suicide. She just got really drunk after a fight with the hero and didn’t know what she was doing.
I made a valiant effort to finish the book. But after about fifty more pages, I shot the girl. I couldn’t save the story. I’d painted myself into a corner and tried to run through the wet paint really fast without leaving any prints.
It didn’t work.
Someday I may rewrite from the beginning. Because I love my setup.
I plan to actually finish one of the WIPs now on the table and say with a satisfied smile, “That doesn’t suck.”
December 11th, 2006 at 8:03 pm
You know exactly which story of mine is the story that just won’t die. If you notice, almost I write comes back to that story. Coincidence? I think not. I think that story and it’s sassy sociopath of a heroine will haunt me until I’ve typed the words, the end. I’m hoping that will happened in 2008!
And I’m glad you didnt burn EWW! I have a good feeling about that book!
December 11th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
I like what I’ve read of EWW, but I do know how you feel. You know what book is like this for me. I don’t know if I can salvage Until Death, but I’m going to try. I love the characters. The plot is okay. The writing sucks lol. Hopefully there is something to save there.
December 11th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Yeah. I have one. I think it has to die. At least for now, I just don’t have time to rework it. So is life.
Maybe SOME day.