I'm back
Anyway, I've been thinking again. I know. Everyone step away.
I hate that damn Regency. I honestly do. I don't care about these characters. They're boring. Really, truly boring. Their entire situation is just so predictable. Not just because I know they're going to get a HEA, but because everything leading up to it is exactly like a dozen other stories I've read. Just because my heroine has a unique quirk doesn't make the whole thing original.
I'm not even in a middle of the story slump. I know what happens next. I just don't care.
I think it's time to round-file this one. I know, I know. I've done it before. But I'm thinking more in terms of keeping the print-out in a folder, but deleting the file from my hard drive so it doesn't keep haunting me.
Do you have any idea how long it's been since I worked on an original idea? Well, I did with Daughter of Privilege, but that's it. In years, it feels like. I've been going back to things in my idea folder, but I haven't added anything new there in a very long time.
I think it's time for a mind declutter as well as a file declutter.
I'll let you know how it goes.
11 Comments:
yahooooooooooo there's nothing better than starting a new story--except chocolate!
By 
Amie Stuart, at
1:02 PM
I'm dying to start a new project.
Isn't it funny how edits and other things keeping you from that just make you long for the madness even more?
By Sandra Ruttan, at
5:17 PM
Don't kill it! This could just be your mood. To be honest, I'd take great characterization/author voice, over *originality* any day. It's caring about the characters that keeps me engaged. Just put it aside for now.
By vanessa jaye, at
5:51 PM
Don't tuck it TOO far away.
But yeah, there's a joy in starting a new story unlike no other!
And it may even motivate you to gt back to this one. ;-)
By 
, at
3:03 AM
I'm with Jayne.
I hear you! I re-read my story that an agent is nibbling and I thought "Man this is awful! I'm completely not interested in writing this". I wanted to get back to my new project. But the iron is hot, so I have to crack the whip and get back to the characters. The story is going to look completely different though.
What about changing the storyline a little? Would tweaking it, slightly, make it more interesting? (says the unpublished, brash Jen)
By Jennifer McKenzie, at
9:02 AM
Cece -- I know!! I love that feeling! If only I could remember it...
Sandra -- I think that's part of it. I've been in "fixing things" mode for so long I've forgotten the joy of creating something for the first time.
Jaye -- I never truly throw anything away. It'll still be around, just not so it makes me feel horribly guilty every time I look at my files.
Raine -- I honestly hope that I can put this one away forever. The only good thing is that I may be able to mine it in the future for the bits that DID work and use them somewhere else.
Bernita -- Thank you!
Jen -- That made me chuckle in a completely unhinged way. I've been "tweaking" this story for 4 yrs. I'm done tweaking. I just need to move on.
Thanks everyone! I finally read a book yesterday. It's been a while since I was able to do that without feeling guilty that I wasn't using the time to write.
By Sela Carsen, at
9:44 AM
Make sure you burn a copy of the document onto disc and tuck it into the file too so that, IF you should want to come back to this story, you don't have to re-type everything.
Good luck! New stories are so addictive!
By Crystal Jordan, at
10:53 AM
I agree, don't kill it, just put the story in hibernation and move on to something that grabs you. I have three half finished novels in hibernation. But there's nothing like getting all fired up with something new. Go for it. :-)
By , at
4:55 PM
Crystal -- Funny you should mention that. I just backed up everything in my writing file to my Jump Drive. I hadn't backed up in ages, either! So I've still got it all with me one way or another.
Alexandra -- Thanks for the encouragement. I feel soooo much better already taking the break to reconnect those creative discovery cells.
By Sela Carsen, at
12:54 PM
Hey Sela,
LOL, I totally know what you mean. I can't remember the last thing I wrote original. Wait...it was June of 05. Everyting else has been revamp, rewrite or edits.
I'm a little afraid of something new, now.
Wishing you luck!
Dee
By Dee Tenorio, at
2:51 AM