September 10, 2006 | writing
Well, I hit The Suckage Point this weekend, hard.
I’m very nearly halfway through writing this book. And really I should have expected this from the start. Now this book is one that I wrote originally as a novella, before I got published, to try to enter in Lori Foster’s Brava competition. (Is that even still going?) I called it, for some reason, Self-Promotion for Utter Beginners. It didn’t win, and so I sent it to Brava anyway, and it got rejected.
So then I sold a book to Modern Extra, but I wanted to try my hand at a Blaze, so I rewrote the novella, making the content of that into the first three chapters of a book, made up a completely spurious plot about writing a book about internet dating, retitled it How To Be A Sex Goddess, and sent it off to Blaze. Who rejected it.
But I liked the premise (which is a mistaken identity/best friends scenario) and I liked the characters (a computer geek turned male model and a woman who’s just been humiliatingly dumped), so, what do I decide to do? Start from scratch and rewrite the whole thing, making up a new plot hinged on the premise and characters, for Modern Extra, using all the skills I have learned from writing five books for the line.
The last time I rewrote a book from scratch (with Delicious), it was absolute hell. It is much, much easier to make up a whole new story than to try to re-wrestle with one that you have come up with already. Did I learn from this experience?
Of course not.
I am now entangled with this new story, trying desperately to make it make sense, give it emotional tension, and stop my characters from either storming off in a huff or declaring mad undying love for each other. I hit a brick wall on Friday and could not figure out for the life of me what was going to happen next. I called friends, got on IM, moaned and moaned and moaned and moaned. Then sat down and brainstormed and figured out what’s going to happen in the next three or four chapters.
I still have no idea what’s going to happen at the end. Despite having planned out this story in two other incarnations.
But hopefully, I can write these next three or four chapters and the characters will tell me what will happen.
This is the point that a bottle of wine would really help me. Alas.
If any of you are at the Suckage Point in your book, I feel for you. I really, really do. Tell me and I will pat you on the back.
(P.S. Please come to my book signing at the Broad Street Waterstones in Reading from 5-7 pm this Thursday, 14 September!)
TanyaLouise says:
I’m sure you will work it out – you always do. If it’s any comfort – I am in the middle of Being a Bad Girl and am going to bed early just to read it!!!!
Julie says:
Ah see, THAT one I knew what was going to happen as I wrote it, except that Marianne kept on not doing what I wanted her to, so it didn’t turn out how I expected it. I’m glad you’re enjoying Oz, TanyaLouise, and thank you for leaving a comment!
It is a great comfort.
Michelle Styles says:
Yes, but you did reach a suckage point with BABG and see what happened!
Take a bath, go for a walk. YOu just need to find other ways to make the creativity flow. You will do it. I have faith in your ability.
Sela says:
I’ll pat your back if you’ll pat mine. We’ll get through it. Or throw ourselves on our swords. But that sounds pretty awful, so I think we’ll just muddle through instead.
Nell Dixon says:
In the absence of alcohol I find a very large bag of Malteasers to be almost as beneficial to the creative flow.
Julie Day says:
Start writing something else then ideas will come to you for this ms. That happened to me. The last ms I was rewriting I got stuck on so I’ve put it aside and am now working on something entirely different, and lo and behold ideas popped in to my head.
By the way, I’m really enjoying SWFW. It must’ve been fun to write.
Jenna says:
At least your suckage comes half way – there is no turning back once you’ve done so much. My wall is after chapter 3…when you can still toss it.
Hence why I am playing with a plotless Cinderella/office/secluded island story. Pure indulgence. The wedding dress comes off today!
April says:
Know what I did last week when I was at my suckage point? I read Delicious. And it was so fabulous that I couldn’t put it down, so I read it inone night. But the next day I was right back at the writing. Guess I owe ya!
Julie says:
I always have a suckage point, Michelle. I’ve recognised it now as an inevitable part of my process, painful as it is. Moaning is also an inevitable part. Thank you for your faith, as always.
Sela, as long as we can keep the swords for backup.
Nell…ah, the chocolate solution. I have been reserving that for a real emergency, but perhaps the time is now.
Julie, writing something else is a great idea, and I know it works for other people–like you, you lucky thing! Unfortunately, with work and deadline, I only have time to work on this book now, until it’s done.
You’re right, Spirit Willing was great fun to write…though I recall I reached a suckage point with that one, too.
Jenna, I haven’t tossed an unfinished one yet, and fingers crossed I won’t for a while. I write quickly, but not as quickly as you do, so I can’t afford to abandon ideas at this point. Good luck with the wedding dress–that sounds like fun!
Julie says:
April, I’m glad that my book inspired you! Maybe that’s what I need to do…not read one of my books, obviously, but read something that gets me going.
Thank you for the hint and the compliment!
Anna Lucia says:
Heh. I’m not sure I’ve ever left the suckage point this year…
Keep going, Julie! You can do it.
Karen says:
Sorry about the suckage, Julie.
I have a completed 70k word story I want to start over from scratch cos I love the characters and the basic premise…and the idea of rewriting that thing freaks me out. Don’t know if I’m going to do it.
Hopefully you’ve made some progress.
Lis says:
Can I join the suckage club? Mine doesn’t hit till I get near the black moment and ending then its like the characters decide to go on a vacation without sending me a single postcard, unless its to tell me the first three chaps now suck and do something else with them.
So I took a break from wanting to strange them and finished off DELICOUS. LOVED IT!!! Planning on rereading it again once I finish painting this week
Julie says:
Anna, you are totally OUT of the suckage point, all you have to do is finish the damn revisions. (Me? A broken record? Surely not.)
Karen, it’s hard to rewrite. You have to jettison your ideas of what “must” happen and somehow come up with better solutions. And for me, it often means just ignoring the first draft completely so I don’t make the same mistakes. When I write something new, I always come up with the next step by thinking “what will make this better or worse?” (or, sometimes, both at the same time). When I rewrite something old, I tend to come up with the next step by thinking, “How am I going to change this next scene?” And that’s not as productive as the other method.
Good luck with yours and if you need to moan, you know where to find me.
Lis, I’m so glad you liked Delicious. (Blatant self-plug: its sequel, Married in a Rush, is out next month.) I often hit a suckage point at the end, too. It seems like there is too much to wrap up and God only knows if the characters are behaving plausibly. When you’re that close, you just need to get through it and then revise it (and, for me, NOT get caught up in revising the beginning, until the whole first draft is done and you have an overview). You’re near the finish line…keep on going!