I am openly admitting that one of my unpublished manuscripts, quite frankly, sucks.
I realized this one day last week...and it was a total lightbulb moment.
I had done some major revisions and had sent it to beta readers. I got some feedback from two readers, one writer, one reader who does not also write, and both gave me a ton of things to consider and think about. They had great points and I was excited to get to work. I was all gung ho about fixing it up and sending it out for submission. Then I got an email from one of the other betas..another reader who does not also write. She apologized for having the story for so long. She just didn't have time to read it, but was planning on it. Gave me some feedback on what she had read so far. I told her it was okay. I had already gotten some feedback and had a bunch of things I was working on in the story. It was no big deal if she stopped reading. I mentioned I had another finished manuscript I needed readers for, if she was interested in doing that instead. She said "sure."
I sent the file and later that night she emailed me and said she had already read 176 pages. She emailed me the next afternoon saying she'd finished it. LOVED it. It sucked her in from page one and she did not want to stop reading. She loved the twists and turns. The ending surprised her. It was all the things every writer dreams of hearing about their story.
And then came my lightbulb moment. She started reading MS #1 and she just did not have time. But MS #2, she MADE time to read it...all...in two days....with a full time job, husband and 1 year-old son. Just that right there told me everything I needed.
I knew MS #1 needed more tension..in my MCs life, in the hero and heroine's relationship. Everything was so easy. Problems were resolved too quickly. I knew this form my other beta's feedback. But it had never really occurred to me that it was just a boring story.....that needed too much work to fix.
But I do now. And I am so ready to perfect MS #2! I was excited about the book before...I'd felt it was really good. But I'd had those feelings before. But this new feedback definitely confirms it a little more!
So, I have decided to move on from MS#1. I wrote it a while back...when I was still figuring things out. (Which doesn't mean I have things totally figured out now, but I do know more than I did when I wrote it!) I am at peace with my decision to shelve it permanently. I had shelved it in the past, but never with the intention of never picking it up again. But maybe someday I can start from scratch and use the same characters. There's always that! :)
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Good for you having Beta readers and actually listening to them. I read so many books by indies that I think to myself, didn't this author have Beta readers and were they just friends saying nice things? I have done Beta reading for a few authors, some have even stopped sending to me because they didn't like to be told something needed changing. In most cases they appreciate honest remarks and take them in stride. Good on you for listening.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!! I am always honest when giving feedback for others...a writer cannot grow and learn if they are only told how "awesome" their work is, if it's really not. If something I write is just not working, need to know. I can't always see it for myself.
DeleteThat's a tough decision to make--an even tougher reality to face. LOL. Go you! You're fantastic, and each book/novella you write is better than the last, so no worries. You've got plenty more coming. I think we've all got a ms living in a nest of dust bunnies under our bed (or 3, or 8, in some cases). Now you're just one of the gang!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! I really just needed to accept the fact that I have grown A LOT since writing that book and it just has too many problems....too many mistakes newbie writers make. I thought I could fix them and share this story, which I really do love, but it's just not gonna happen! I've wasted enough time on it. On to better things! :)
DeleteI've been there, too. It's great you were able to figure out from her silence what that meant.
ReplyDeleteI don't think those early books are unsalvagable. You just can't open them and try to revise sentence by sentence. The best way is to open a blank document and start all over. You can keep the same characters, the same basic plot, but the fact that you've grown so much as a writer since writing it will mean the "new" manuscript will be that much better.
Not that you want to do that. :) Sometimes old manuscripts are just tired and need to be put to sleep. :) But take heart that you are that much better that not only do you know it isn't that good, you know you can write something else that much better.
This is interesting, from a writing standpoint. It's so difficult to let go of our babies. Good for you, girl! {}
ReplyDeleteIt had to be done. I hate that it took me so long to realize it. So much time I wasted..... But I guess I did learn some things from it too. :)
DeleteI've had that moment about my first book -- which started out as the BEST BOOK EVER! Yeah, no. I don't even tell people about it any more. I've become a much better writer since then.
ReplyDeleteOh yes...that first book is still on my hard drive...never to see the light of day! I cringe whenever I open it and read. crazy to think that I once thought it was so awesome!
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