So I've been trying to finish my historical with little success. My friend read it and said she wanted to smack the heroine. After getting more of her opinion, I had to agree. I chatted with Melissa about it and we came up with a good ending to make my heroine pay for her stupidity. It got real complicated. Then I realized I just didn't care. I don't "love" it enough (anyone receive that wording a rejection letter?). Of course I have to come to this conclusion on page 362.
It isn't a bad book. I think it is well-written but the characters mean nothing to me. I really don't care what they do. I don't care how they feel. It's my own fault for not catching this earlier. I have spent many, many months on this book with little progress. I could never envision this book on a bookshelf. When the little voice tries to get my attention, I should probably listen. So it will be filed away on the old hard drive until I get an urge to use it for something. But I have no inclination to keep working on it. I have a couple of other ideas ready to burst out, one I already have the query letter written in my head.
I worked so hard on the mechanics and the research, I forgot to put in my passion.
10 comments:
That's tough, Rene. But at least you're comfortable with putting it aside. I believe it's true if you're not passionate about the book it will show in the long run. I wish you luck with your next project! =)
PS - Yep, heard that not loving enough rejection before.
*waving* I've heard that rejection too.
And I've been there with the 'forgot the passion' thing too. Except I wrote the whole book. I guess it was a learning experience - nothing is ever wasted. At least we knew when to fold em.
Totally agree with the learning thing. I've got a few books that will never see the light of day. They, too, lacked passion. I just hadn't found my voice yet. Keep at it!!!
{{{hugs}}} Rene. That's definitely a hard decision to make. But one I totally understand.
Aw, hugs, Rene. That's a really hard decision to come to on your own. Usually, we need an editor to tell us that, LOL. But you're right--you need the passion!!! Go forth and find something you feel passion for.
I agree with these wise women. You've made a good decision for your writing right now. Invest that passion in your next project. The work will shine.
Grins*
362 pages huh? Well, I wish you could have figured it out earlier, but it's good that you're okay with putting it aside and moving on. Sometimes a story just isn't right, no matter what we do to it.
Rene--hugs. It's tough when you run into that. But put it aside for a bit. Go back to it a few months later and see what you think. You might see something then that you can't see now. Good luck, either way!
Huge hugs! To put your book away is a hard decision to take. Best wishes for your next WIP!
That's rough, Rene. You may find that once you've set it aside for a while the characters start whispering to you, making suggestions and helping bring back your passion for the story.
I've had this problem, which is why I now make myself write the story FIRST, then do a lot of the research, tweaking once the ms is done.
Will be interesting to see how I mesh this with FDin30D.
I don't think any story is ever lost to us for good. Sometimes we just need a break from it!
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