Thursday, May 4, 2017

Sometimes it's better to just start again



After a brief hiatus I guess I've come to the conclusion that to hell with the world, I'll write the stories I want to write. If people like them too, that's wonderful. If they don't, there are plenty more books out there in the virtual (and real) world.

With that in mind, I had a look at the two pieces I started, then stopped. In the first case, I really liked the character – but the way I'd written it, I couldn't take her further in the story. I'd be saying "yes but…" all the time. I wanted to hang on to that bit of writing, though. It was good. She came across so well, so I thought I'd try switching universes, and set her in my Dryden Universe with a couple of existing characters I'd created in Eye of the Mother. But I hit the same hole I'd fallen into before. Where to from here?

Nuts.

Close that one, look at the second stalled WIP. Oh yes, that would work… And as I switched characters, cut bits, rewrote bits, I started to think that this story actually worked well for the Morgan Selwood universe in which it was set. It was going to be a Morgan's Misfits story (the first and only so far is Kuralon Rescue). And there were places it could go. But it would end up being a full novel, and I'm not in a position to go there just yet. I wanted something fun, maybe novella length.

Double Nuts.

Oh well. When the spare parts don't fit, all you can do is start again. So that's what I'm doing. It will be the Dryden Universe, starring Brent and Tian who I introduced in Eye of the Mother. It's trickling along, and I'm getting a flow of ideas.

And the moral of the story?

Sometimes it's better to just start again.

(But I'm still pouting about losing Marisa.)

9 comments:

  1. I have so many unfinished things. Some got recycled in other stories - my debut even had loads of elements from a Doctor Who story I wrote once but others are waiting either to be reused, completed, or waiting for a sub call that they fit or spare cash to pay for edits. Like you, I've come to the conclusion I might as well just write for me.

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    1. Yep, never throw stuff away. I'm hoping I can recycle Marisa some time. Maybe as a short.

      And also yes, do it because you enjoy it. Maybe we'll make some money some time.

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  2. This! "After a brief hiatus I guess I've come to the conclusion that to hell with the world, I'll write the stories I want to write."

    That's what I've decided too, Greta. I'm not going to tailor my writing to the market, I'm going to continue to write the stories I want to tell. I know not every reader will like my style of storytelling and I may not get legions of fans, but hopefully the following I do get will love the tales. Satisfaction can be a rewarding payoff, too.

    And I just noticed your character name "Tian." My characters' alter-ego in my latest WIP has a last name of Tion--pronounced (TEE on). Close!

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    1. Haha. I'm not sure how you'd pronounce Tian. I'll bet some people will say TEE-an, and some will say tee-AAN. Whatever starts yer engines :)

      And yes, as long as some people like to read our stuff, it's all good.

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    2. I'd say Tian to rhyme with Ian.

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  3. BRAVO! And to be honest, I think we increase our chances of eventual success by doing this. Much of the time, the stories that hit it really big are ones that ignore the rules -- by virtue of the fact they ignore the rules.

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  4. I so much agree. I would feel handcuffed if I tried to write to someone else's agenda, and that is what genre fiction seems to have become. I have never known what to call my own books aside from 'general.'

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    1. It can be hard. Genre can be a killer - not enough romance for the romance readers, or too much for the SF fans. Shrugs. I'm at the point of saying, "If you don't like it, go read something else."

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