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So I have this book that I’ve been working off and on at for about a year or so, and I’ve just suddenly realized that hardly any of it makes sense and it’s kind of silly. Is it a crime to not finish a book? I’ll probably finish it at some time, I’m just not sure if I want to do it now. I have another great idea simmering, but I don’t like having two books going at once.
Is it a crime? Certainly not! If you can’t find anything at all worth pursuing in it, just let it go. But you need to be certain there’s really nothing of worth in it— don’t just determine that by how you feel about it right now. Here’s a really good article that may help with this— Awesome Writing Article
Sometimes it’s better to let one project drop for a while and start a new one, then go back to the first one with a fresh perspective. There are usually at least seeds of promise in the most silly looking story. You just have to be willing to take time and dig them out. 😀
Except…I really liked that book. Well, as much as I knew of it anyway. 🙁 Write another story using the same theme and characters.
And why am I writing this to you when you’re sitting across from me talking to me and distracting me from writing this to you?
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
I still have my first book that I’ve never finished, so I wouldn’t be one to talk about never abandoning a book.
You could maybe finish it sort of tongue-in-cheek humor, if it’s the kind of story that would work with. Other than that, just figure out where you want to go, and if it still doesn’t seem to be working, have Hope help you outline it. She had a good article on that. 😉Well, I pretty much just left my first book in the dumps. It was a nonfiction book though. *shivers* Too much work.
The one I’m writing now though is going to be published. It is my darling book. It is a must book. I’m in love with it. If my editors tell me it sucks, I will rewrite it. I will get it done somehow.
But if this book you’re talking about isn’t your darling book, maybe you should just treat it as a good learning experience. Study what you did wrong, go write your real darling book, and don’t repeat your earlier mistakes.
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I know it’s one of writers’ forbidden questions to ask what a person is writing, but are you fine with disclosing what your book is about?
@joy-schmidt
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I was asking you @Daeus.
Oh, ok. Sure, that’s fine to ask.
I’m not very good at describing it, but I will have to at some point, so this will be good practice. I am also going to describe parts I haven’t written yet, so things may change a bit.
To keep it basic, it is about a 12ish year old boy who experiences this great tragedy which embitters him against the person who wronged him. He ends up being adopted by this really nice elderly couple whom he really loves, but his desire for vengeance draws him away and he goes off to find the skills and tools he needs to succeed in his mission.
He ends up fighting in the nine years war where he meets two friends, one named Valmond and the other one I just call “the scholar” for now. He ends up saving the scholar’s life once, but soon after the scholar dies of another cause. Since he is friends with and indebted to my MC and since he has no other heir, he makes my MC his heir. Part of this involves telling him the location of this (semi-historically accurate) treasure which is hidden in France and only he knows about.
So what does my character do, but leave the army with his friend Valmond and go off to find the treasure. The catch is that France (where the treasure is) is the territory of the enemy he has just been fighting and he doesn’t know the language. Thankfully his friend is french, so that helps a bit. They eventually find the treasure, but they have to go through some … heh heh … unexpected trials before they get it.
Now, with the power to work his mission, my character returns (now about 23ish) and, after making an impression in London and finding just the right people to help him work his plots, he moves just miles away from his archenemy. This is when everything starts going wrong, and everything right, and … heh heh … stuff happens…
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@Joy-Schimdt— I would trust Hope. She has my vote of confidence. That’s the nice thing about having another writer in your family— you can always ask each other for advice, whether you do it across the room or computer to computer. 😛
@Daeus— your book sounds fascinating. I’ll beta read it for you— really I will. I owe you one, after all. 😛And I was going to offer before I knew how fascinating it was… so I’m not totally mercenary…
What’s your book about, Joy? And what don’t you like about it?
Unless you don’t want to talk about it, in which case I’ll stop pestering you. 😛 😉@kate-flournoy That would be positively fantastic! I’ll take all the beta-reader I can get. Baby sister, pet dragons, hobo friends, etc.
I realized after I decided on the plot that the story is just about what you’d expect to get if you mashed (guess what?) The Count of Monte Cristo, Ben-Hur, and A Tale of Two Cities together.
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That sounds really interesting!!! Will you be posting parts of it? I only ask because other writing groups did things like that.
No, that’s fine. I can write out what my story’s about; its telling it face to face with someone that freaks me out!
It’s a fantasy story with two brothers in their late teens-early twenties. They’re princes, and when their father is murdered, the oldest brother becomes king. I think that the younger brother, Raimund, is the MC, but I honestly can’t remember. Anyway, the older brother, Thaerin, is captured by the same people who killed his father, who turns out to be an advisor or something. I’m not sure if Thaerin escapes or Raimund rescues him, but in the end they have this final battle against the bad guy. The theme was going to be the bond between brothers. Oh, and then I think the Thaerin has an identical twin who’s kind of evil and then turns good.
To be honest, until I wrote this out I didn’t realize how much I didn’t have figured out! I’m basically at that part when Thaerin’s captured, and Raimund is having to deal with his twin who’s posing at Thaerin, and I realized that everything was really dragged out, and Raimund wasn’t acting very “manly.” He was too emotional; I mean he wasn’t a wimp, but he wasn’t acting realistic.
@Kate-Flournoy here’s my Pinterest board for my most recent story idea. https://www.pinterest.com/the_authoress/storyboard-my-sisters-fate/
Hey, I have a character with a very similar name to Raimund. It’s Rameaux.
I suppose I’ll probably be posting small excerpts of my book when it comes out, but not here. I’d probably do that on my own site, and what would be even better is if other people would do that on their sites.
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