Monday, January 14, 2013

Learning to Let Go


We authors are a psychotic bunch. We come up with an idea, turn it into a story, and when we realize the story is crap we still keep writing it. Really! Most people would just cut their losses and move on, but... they aren't authors.

Those of you who are writers probably know exactly what I'm talking about. You had those moments where you penned something, realized you don't like it, and set forward with re-writing it. It might be easier to just delete the whole thing and start with a new idea, but for us it's hard to let that baby go.

Recently, I had to learn how to let go. This year's resolution is to finish at least some of the started WIPs I have. Look at that side bar near the bottom for a second. See all those things I'm working on? Most of them have been there for over a year. Some over two years (and one over 3 years. I'm scared to open that one).

One of those stories in particular, Bunnies and Batteries, was started like two years ago and abandoned. I abandoned it because I didn't like the heroine, and I didn't care for the plot. Yet, I still kept the saved word doc, still intended to finish that story. So I did. I rewrote it. Re-wrote the entire idea, changed the heroine, improved the conflict between her and the hero. And then, I sent that baby off.

Last week, I signed a contract with Evernight Publishing to make Bunnies and Batteries into a free read. It will be available for download sometime in March. I hope you will download it when it's out.

With B&B done and out of the way, I now have to pick the next started and abandoned WIP on my list. Wonder where that one will lead.

7 comments:

  1. Ironically, I have no trouble letting go if something doesn't work for me. It doesn't matter if it's books, jobs or men. The only thing I never give up on are my dogs. They're stuck with me for life. :)

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  2. I have one M/s i'm hugging to me like a security blanket 50K done... 20 of that not working, but will I cast it adrift? No, because one day...
    Looking forward to Bunnies and Batteries.

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  3. Never toss it out...no matter how long it takes you to write it...B&B proves you can and you will.

    Nikki

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  4. OMG, I know exactly what you mean! I get better with each passing year but there are pieces I wrote years ago that I think still tell a good story, albeit not as well as I could do now...one in particular. I keep going back to it and somehow it never quite works. I suppose I will either rewrite the whole thing or let it lie...glad to see I'm not alone!

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  5. Good for You Angelina!

    I did the same thing. I chucked everything that I hadn't opened in more than six months into a "Drafts Folder" set goals for the remaining three projects and just subbed one of them to Evernight last night.

    Let's kick some ass!

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  6. Great post and so true. I have ideas that I have not penned or just started with one paragraph! Maybe it's time to look at those again?

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  7. That's awesome that you are finishing those! I just came back to an idea that I started years ago and I'm struggling my way through it, determined to see it through! But I only have the one that I haven't finished. I'm so impressed that you're crossing them off your list and finishing. GO Angelina!!!

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