Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sometimes, as writers, we must come to some painful realizations. And sometimes, that means the books we've treated as our children—often spending more hours with them than with our own families—turn out to be "practice books." As one writer friend of mine put it, we all have books we hide under the bed never to see the light of day again.
I'm starting to think The Stolen Lady may be one of those books.
I put a lot of love and time and blood and sweat and tears into that book. And yet, what I'm hearing over and over again from the agents I've queried is that while the writing is good, it just doesn't "fit" into today's competitive market. One told me the book was "old-fashioned." I'm not insulted. It probably is a bit old-fashioned. I prefer a book to be character driven rather than plot driven, and many romance novels on the market today are plot driven. It's what's selling right now. But styles and reader preferences change, so at some point, maybe TSL will see the light of day again.For now, though, I think I'm going to focus on something else.
I've been quietly working on a new novel, one I've already written a couple of chapters for and scrapped because the beginning just wasn't right. Now, I'm trying something new: first person perspective. This will be a challenge because I won't be able to get into the heads of the other characters. I'm pretty much stuck in my heroine's head. I'm okay with that given the success Kristan Higgins has had with it. I've seen how it can work.
I'm notoriously bad at getting a novel started. I'm what other writers call a "pantster," so I usually have no idea where the book is going until I'm deep into the story. And then I fly by the seat of my pants until the end. This time, I'm going to loosely outline as I go and see where that leads. What I'm hoping it will do is give me something to refer back to as I write and not forget where I was going in the first place.
So...here we go with the writing updates again! I hope you enjoy the roller coaster ride with me.
I'm starting to think The Stolen Lady may be one of those books.
I put a lot of love and time and blood and sweat and tears into that book. And yet, what I'm hearing over and over again from the agents I've queried is that while the writing is good, it just doesn't "fit" into today's competitive market. One told me the book was "old-fashioned." I'm not insulted. It probably is a bit old-fashioned. I prefer a book to be character driven rather than plot driven, and many romance novels on the market today are plot driven. It's what's selling right now. But styles and reader preferences change, so at some point, maybe TSL will see the light of day again.For now, though, I think I'm going to focus on something else.
I've been quietly working on a new novel, one I've already written a couple of chapters for and scrapped because the beginning just wasn't right. Now, I'm trying something new: first person perspective. This will be a challenge because I won't be able to get into the heads of the other characters. I'm pretty much stuck in my heroine's head. I'm okay with that given the success Kristan Higgins has had with it. I've seen how it can work.
I'm notoriously bad at getting a novel started. I'm what other writers call a "pantster," so I usually have no idea where the book is going until I'm deep into the story. And then I fly by the seat of my pants until the end. This time, I'm going to loosely outline as I go and see where that leads. What I'm hoping it will do is give me something to refer back to as I write and not forget where I was going in the first place.
So...here we go with the writing updates again! I hope you enjoy the roller coaster ride with me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Jen, when I look back at my first few books, I'm actually glad no one wanted them (I didn't even submit the first one). But none of them were a waste of time because I've learned so much in the process.
Just like practicing scales and children's songs on the piano eventually leads to Beethoven, writing takes practice.
Maybe some day you can revisit this one. Someone who writes really well in first person--at least, I think so--is Lisa Kleypas. Her Texas contemporaries are all in first person, but it really worked for me. Here's a sample if you're interested. I just went to look for it and got sucked right back in. ;-) http://www.lisakleypas.com/booksmoothtalking.asp
Hi, Gwen! Thanks for commenting. :)
I haven't read anything by Lisa Kleypas, but if she's doing work in first person, it sounds like she's another author I need to pick up. Kristan Higgans has really inspired me because her first person stories are so elegantly crafted. Normally, I don't care for first person, but her writing is so smooth that it's caused me to rethink it. Thank you for the link.
TSL has a special place in my heart, but I guess at the end of the day, you're right. I need the practice as much as I want to be published. I'm coming to the conclusion that it probably isn't going to be the book that gets me published. I just have to keep working toward the goal!
Lisa Kleypas' Texas contemporaries are wonderful, I love them!
I know my first book will never see the light. EVER. EVER. EVER. It's got way too much of myself in it and is totally not believable. However, it was a spin off on my very first idea that is only partially written. I've put that on hold for a while, and I think it's a possibility for down the road. I actually have two ideas in my head that are not meant for now. I know that if I try to tackle them I'll only ruin them, so I'm waiting.
Good luck with first person. I love first person when it's done well. I actually have a hard time staying out of first person when I'm writing, but then when I embrace it I back myself into a corner. Highly frustrating.
Post a Comment