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Some thoughts on how to pivot when a book isn't working, because I recently dumped exactly 100 pages of a book and started over, which is a thing I tell you to never do... but that sometimes must be done. 1/
The backstory: I had the idea for this book back in February, before ECCC was to happen. I thought of it as 'The Green Book', because it was going to be green and lush, inspired by Seattle and the worldbuilding behind All of Us With Wings by @MichelleRKeil. Magic and greenery! 2/
But then ECCC got canceled, as did the deep dive of area research I'd planned around ECCC. I still wanted to write the green book-- had a list of scenes, ideas, themes--but couldn't get to Seattle. So I decided to write it about Florida instead. Because I'm quarantined here. 3/
I started writing the book, a YA about magic with tones of The Starless Sea. It was going great. But my heroine needed a backstory, so I dreamed up this casino in Las Vegas where she was born, which fit my needs perfectly in contrast to the humid, green vibe of Florida. 4/
The book was going swimmingly. I was hitting 2-5k words per day. I loved it. And then... it sputtered to a stop, right at 100 pages. Now, for me, there are milestones in a book. 20 pages, 100 pages, and the end. If I can get past 100, I can finish it. But I couldn't! 5/
So I sat with the book, and I stared at the blank page, and I cogitated, and then I was listening to a boring podcast, and it came to me. The scenes I looooved writing? Were all in the casino hotel. The actual green part of the book wasn't what I was passionate about anymore. 6/
I had originally fallen in love with GREEN SEATTLE MAGIC, morphed it into FLORIDA SWAMP MAGIC, and then got bored and fixated on WEIRD VEGAS CASINO HOTEL. So I sat down with the plot to figure out how to fix it and thought... I don't wanna. I don't care about it. GIMME HOTEL. 7/
I also made mistakes along the way that went against my general book advice. The idea was originally Fantasy, but I aged it down to YA because of non-competes. And then I started the age-old WHICH TROPES ARE NECESSARY debate for YA, so it got less passionate, more commercial. 8/
In hindsight, I think it was shoehorning in a love triangle that sent it off the rails. My YA life was full of love triangles, rather than OMG SOULMATE, so that's how I lean. But for this book, decisions went from gut to 'what do readers want?', which is my death knell. 9/
I'm not saying the writer should never make book decisions based on what readers/agents/editors want. I am saying that if that's the *only* reason you include something in a book that doesn't necessarily require it, you may send it off center. Stay true to the book's heart. 10/
So! I wrote down all the things I loved most about the first book, and it turns out they were mostly in that Vegas hotel casino. I also wrote down things I wanted to explore in that world-- the flashback situation in the abandoned book had grown intense! I nailed down plot. 11/
And then I did a thing I rarely do. I closed the first doc, opened a new one, and started typing. And it felt GREAT. It didn't feel like I'd wasted time on the wrong book. It felt like the abandoned book was the vehicle for discovering a whole new book! Such a revelation! 12/
I started writing the new book June 4. I'm now 138 pages/38k words in. It feels great and loose. I know where it's going. I know each decision is right. I'm discovering new things daily. I'm SO GLAD I abandoned the old book for this one. It's like a heart transplant! 13/
For me, if something doesn't feel right around page 20 or 100, that's a sign that the story might not have legs or that I haven't really dug deep enough to the heart, tying character arc to plot. Sometimes, I fall in love with worldbuilding and neglect story. 14/
The whole thing reminds me of throwing clay pots on the wheel. You have to get the clay centered before you can start pulling it up. If it's just the tiniest bit off-center, it'll eventually splatter you with slurry and collapse on itself. Take your time to center it. 15/
The Shiny New Idea will often arrive when a book gets hard to write, but for me, that happens around 40k or over, when you're in the soggy middle of the story and not yet barreling toward the climax. Look at page 20 and 100. Those are your warning bells. 16/
Abandoning a book because it's in a momentary difficult or soggy place makes me feel guilty and weak, like I'm letting the book/myself down. Abandoning a book because there's a fatal flaw in plot or world is a RELIEF and feels amazing, and I immediately start anew. 17/
As with any of my book or creative advice, your mileage may vary. This is what works for me, but everyone's process and journey is different. You do you. Whatever gets the book done! 18/
So, in conclusion:
* if a book isn't working, take the time to figure out why
* if a book is hard at the 30-50k mark, consider if it might be the notorious Soggy Middle, and if so, push through
* some books are the vehicle to discovering the story you really wanted to tell 19/
* if a book isn't working, take the time to figure out why
* if a book is hard at the 30-50k mark, consider if it might be the notorious Soggy Middle, and if so, push through
* some books are the vehicle to discovering the story you really wanted to tell 19/
IMHO, best way to know if a book is going to work is to know how it's going to end and tie your character's arc to the climax and ending. And yet, sometimes I'm still wrong. And that's okay. It's all a journey. :) Here's finding our stories! 20/20
For those asking for word counts for 20 and 100 pages, I'd say around 5000 and 20,000, roughly. 21/20
