I fully agree. I think it's because there's shame attached to admitting something isn't working - so we'd often rather deny there's a problem and go on digging the hole deeper and deeper. But I've been there before so was on the look out for it! Also, I had access to some good advice. It still feels like a loss, but I'm sure it was the right decision. Cheers for reading and taking the time to contribute, David
I hope not all writing has to be cathartic 😅. It’s emotionally draining when writing is more consuming than real life.
If you wrote 100 pages don’t you think there’s something there? Maybe it needs another angle, another voice, maybe make it a fantasy! Did you read The Broken Earth trilogy? It starts like fantasy but it’s all science… mind-blowing.
You ask a great question - the kind of question my editors would ask! Yes - if pushed, I have to admit that there must be something in those 100 pages. It's just that I can't currently see what it might be. There's not enough there for me to get hold of - to motivate me to start playing with other voices/modes etc. Maybe at some point in the future, once I've got some more distance from it, an idea will click and make sense of the whole thing and energise me to go back to it. Either way, I suspect some of the characters, places, themes, from that manuscript will seep into my future stories. Making things is messy, and nothing is truly wasted. I need to read The Broken Earth trilogy. I'm going to go and order it now...
This was really interesting to read, I honestly think it’s so important to share the wobbles as well as the successes - both for yourself, to not feel like you’re building a public version of yourself it’s hard to live up to, and for others to know it’s not just them. Fair play to your editors for guiding you to follow your heart. Unused writing is rarely truly wasted, but it can be dispiriting when you abandon something so far through. I hope you find a story that fits you better soon.
Thanks, Jacqueline. I think you're so right - I spent a lot of energy in the past pretending to be infallible, and denying there was a problem when things went wrong. The fact is there's no shame in falling down occasionally; it's a perfectly natural and necessary part of learning and creativity. And yes, you're also right about unused writing never being wasted. I'm already feeling one or two elements of this aborted project seeping into my imagining of the next thing! Many thanks for your support - best of luck to you too
What a brave, difficult decision to have to make Tim. Your relief shows that it was a good one. I am sure that something more inspiring will come to you soon.
Thank you, Eve. I'm going to take it as a mark of experience that I didn't just go on hitting my head against a brick wall! Also, I'm very grateful to my editors, who always help me see these things more clearly. One thing about writing fiction, you never stop learning!
Glad you had the gumption to put it aside. That may have been harder to do than actually finishing the story.
I fully agree. I think it's because there's shame attached to admitting something isn't working - so we'd often rather deny there's a problem and go on digging the hole deeper and deeper. But I've been there before so was on the look out for it! Also, I had access to some good advice. It still feels like a loss, but I'm sure it was the right decision. Cheers for reading and taking the time to contribute, David
I hope not all writing has to be cathartic 😅. It’s emotionally draining when writing is more consuming than real life.
If you wrote 100 pages don’t you think there’s something there? Maybe it needs another angle, another voice, maybe make it a fantasy! Did you read The Broken Earth trilogy? It starts like fantasy but it’s all science… mind-blowing.
You ask a great question - the kind of question my editors would ask! Yes - if pushed, I have to admit that there must be something in those 100 pages. It's just that I can't currently see what it might be. There's not enough there for me to get hold of - to motivate me to start playing with other voices/modes etc. Maybe at some point in the future, once I've got some more distance from it, an idea will click and make sense of the whole thing and energise me to go back to it. Either way, I suspect some of the characters, places, themes, from that manuscript will seep into my future stories. Making things is messy, and nothing is truly wasted. I need to read The Broken Earth trilogy. I'm going to go and order it now...
This was really interesting to read, I honestly think it’s so important to share the wobbles as well as the successes - both for yourself, to not feel like you’re building a public version of yourself it’s hard to live up to, and for others to know it’s not just them. Fair play to your editors for guiding you to follow your heart. Unused writing is rarely truly wasted, but it can be dispiriting when you abandon something so far through. I hope you find a story that fits you better soon.
Thanks, Jacqueline. I think you're so right - I spent a lot of energy in the past pretending to be infallible, and denying there was a problem when things went wrong. The fact is there's no shame in falling down occasionally; it's a perfectly natural and necessary part of learning and creativity. And yes, you're also right about unused writing never being wasted. I'm already feeling one or two elements of this aborted project seeping into my imagining of the next thing! Many thanks for your support - best of luck to you too
What a brave, difficult decision to have to make Tim. Your relief shows that it was a good one. I am sure that something more inspiring will come to you soon.
Thank you, Eve. I'm going to take it as a mark of experience that I didn't just go on hitting my head against a brick wall! Also, I'm very grateful to my editors, who always help me see these things more clearly. One thing about writing fiction, you never stop learning!