❤️❤️❤️ this and…same. Just don’t care and the resulting manuscript is really fuc$&ng dark and funny and feels like…me? Can’t wait to read what you are cooking up!!
I appreciate you sharing this. Last year I experienced similar paralysis after the second of my two post-Covid mg novel manuscripts died on sub, all while getting the best rejections of my life. But in the end, “We don’t think this will break out.”
Of course, I know so few books do, and it was just another thing editors say to turn you down. But I couldn’t shake it and spent the better part of a year unable to write because I kept skipping from the project to project, feeling hopeless because none of my new projects was likely to “break out” either. (I still think that’s an unfair expectation to voice in a rejection letter!)
A few weeks back, I was thinking about how writing used to bring me joy, and how I hadn’t felt that in a long time. That realization (plus spring coming finally, maybe) set something loose inside me, and I’m back to working on a new project. It may never sell. It is certainly unlikely to “break out.” But I’m having fun and experiencing the joy of writing again.
I’m so glad you are back to having fun and enjoying writing again!! I am with you that expectations of how a book will sell can be such a dampener on creativity and sets unfair expectations since of anybody in the book publishing process, an author has the least control as to how a book will sell. Over here cheering you on as you write for joy!!
I'm so excited for you! I relate to caring "too much" and have been feeling it lately as I face making a book for the first time after my debut is out. Even though it is actually my third book, I made the second one before I saw the reception of the first which made it a lot easier to ignore what everyone thinks. But now as I face the next book, it is a lot harder not to care -- to ignore the expectations -- so your strategies are very timely. Thank you so much for sharing them!
I hope this helps, even a little bit ❤️ I find those expectations also get me wanting to “make this one better”, but then that standard is so subjective. Better for who? For the people who didn’t like my last book? For the ones who did like it and want more of the same? It’s just such a recipe for downfall because none of us can ever make everyone happy, so I’m just here to say that your heart knows what book to make next and that everything that feels right to you while making it *is* the right direction!
This was SO what I needed to read right now - I'm about to start my first book for adults, and I had already been very clear that it needs to be FUN, as the last revision I had to do nearly did me in and I cannot do that again. Like you, I'm calling on all the things I love...and I'm also doing it without an outline, although I swore I'd never do that again after last time! But it seems to be the only way forward at the moment, and so there it is!
And! Thank you for the shout out - I love that you're doing the Writers Happiness Challenge, and I also LOVE that there's a book called The Happy Writer, which I also did not know about and am adding to my list immediately!
I’m discovering that sense of “just go where the wind takes you” with no outline is what is actually helping me discover what this book is about, which as a Virgo is something I never thought would happen!!
That is so cool! I've written all my books with more of a, Here's what I want to say about the world, here's the feel I want, let's gooooooo kind of attitude, and I SWORE SWORE SWORE I was not going to do that again, that I was going to have an incredibly tight outline before I started this time so I didn't keep writing myself into a book I didn't mean to write.
So much for that.
But! Your post above has given me hope that maybe, just maybe, I won't do that this time. That maybe the joy and fun of it will be more like when I wrote CIRCUS, when I vowed to only write things that delighted me. I wrote and revised that entire book in two years, which seems unbelievable to me now based on how long this last revision took me (two and a half years just for the revision!). I've come to accept I'm just not a fast writer, and that's that. But I would like to have the new one maybe not take ten years before it comes out...
Completely! I can get so in my head about making them love the story that I totally lose sight of what made them come to my stories in the first place!
Thank you!! And right after I did this I read a chapter in Marissa Meyer’s “The Happy Writer” about keeping a whole set of inspiration lists for all types of categories (characters you like to write, settings you love, objects that delight you) and I’m doing that now too in case that sparks anything as I keep moving forward.
❤️❤️❤️ this and…same. Just don’t care and the resulting manuscript is really fuc$&ng dark and funny and feels like…me? Can’t wait to read what you are cooking up!!
I love this!! Mine has gone a tad dark too 😂 I’m calling it cozy murder fantasy!!
Oh I love that!
I appreciate you sharing this. Last year I experienced similar paralysis after the second of my two post-Covid mg novel manuscripts died on sub, all while getting the best rejections of my life. But in the end, “We don’t think this will break out.”
Of course, I know so few books do, and it was just another thing editors say to turn you down. But I couldn’t shake it and spent the better part of a year unable to write because I kept skipping from the project to project, feeling hopeless because none of my new projects was likely to “break out” either. (I still think that’s an unfair expectation to voice in a rejection letter!)
A few weeks back, I was thinking about how writing used to bring me joy, and how I hadn’t felt that in a long time. That realization (plus spring coming finally, maybe) set something loose inside me, and I’m back to working on a new project. It may never sell. It is certainly unlikely to “break out.” But I’m having fun and experiencing the joy of writing again.
I’m so glad you are back to having fun and enjoying writing again!! I am with you that expectations of how a book will sell can be such a dampener on creativity and sets unfair expectations since of anybody in the book publishing process, an author has the least control as to how a book will sell. Over here cheering you on as you write for joy!!
Thank you. 💚
I'm so excited for you! I relate to caring "too much" and have been feeling it lately as I face making a book for the first time after my debut is out. Even though it is actually my third book, I made the second one before I saw the reception of the first which made it a lot easier to ignore what everyone thinks. But now as I face the next book, it is a lot harder not to care -- to ignore the expectations -- so your strategies are very timely. Thank you so much for sharing them!
I hope this helps, even a little bit ❤️ I find those expectations also get me wanting to “make this one better”, but then that standard is so subjective. Better for who? For the people who didn’t like my last book? For the ones who did like it and want more of the same? It’s just such a recipe for downfall because none of us can ever make everyone happy, so I’m just here to say that your heart knows what book to make next and that everything that feels right to you while making it *is* the right direction!
Oh my gosh, you are the best. Thank you. I needed to hear/read that :)
This was SO what I needed to read right now - I'm about to start my first book for adults, and I had already been very clear that it needs to be FUN, as the last revision I had to do nearly did me in and I cannot do that again. Like you, I'm calling on all the things I love...and I'm also doing it without an outline, although I swore I'd never do that again after last time! But it seems to be the only way forward at the moment, and so there it is!
And! Thank you for the shout out - I love that you're doing the Writers Happiness Challenge, and I also LOVE that there's a book called The Happy Writer, which I also did not know about and am adding to my list immediately!
I’ve loved the Happiness Challenge so much!!
I’m discovering that sense of “just go where the wind takes you” with no outline is what is actually helping me discover what this book is about, which as a Virgo is something I never thought would happen!!
That is so cool! I've written all my books with more of a, Here's what I want to say about the world, here's the feel I want, let's gooooooo kind of attitude, and I SWORE SWORE SWORE I was not going to do that again, that I was going to have an incredibly tight outline before I started this time so I didn't keep writing myself into a book I didn't mean to write.
So much for that.
But! Your post above has given me hope that maybe, just maybe, I won't do that this time. That maybe the joy and fun of it will be more like when I wrote CIRCUS, when I vowed to only write things that delighted me. I wrote and revised that entire book in two years, which seems unbelievable to me now based on how long this last revision took me (two and a half years just for the revision!). I've come to accept I'm just not a fast writer, and that's that. But I would like to have the new one maybe not take ten years before it comes out...
I’m so cheering you on! And even if it takes ten years, there’s no wrong timeline ❤️
Haha - yeah...but...:-)
Love this! I'm also always trying to please readers before I start writing and it makes me get stuck a lot.
Completely! I can get so in my head about making them love the story that I totally lose sight of what made them come to my stories in the first place!
As always, something I needed to read at just the right time!! Also I really love the idea of writing a list of things we truly love!
Thank you!! And right after I did this I read a chapter in Marissa Meyer’s “The Happy Writer” about keeping a whole set of inspiration lists for all types of categories (characters you like to write, settings you love, objects that delight you) and I’m doing that now too in case that sparks anything as I keep moving forward.
omg so good!! I didn't even know about this book so adding to my kindle right now!
It just came out within the last month, I think!! A lot of great tips for all kinds of scenarios that get thrown at us.
loved this one SO much, and can absolutely relate!
We’re in this together!! Just throwing shit at the walls and seeing what sticks!! 😂