Writing is a royal pain

[jhetley]

So this chapter is a climax of sorts -- not the final one, by any means -- and it has turned obstinate. I have religion, politics, and The Gunfight at the OK Corral coming together in one slum apartment to further Fat Wizard's plot, and they keep tripping over each other.

And I'm at the stage where I think the entire book is crap. I still haven't sold the last one, what gives me the insane notion anyone will buy _this?_

Comments

[anghara.livejournal.com]

Been on that hill myself, and defended it against the relentless battalions of Doubt...

*ALL* books turn to crap in the writer's mind somewhere in the process of creating them. This bears no relation to what the thing actually is in the eyes of other people. Persevere.

<>

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

My mantra for this situation is "Crap sells." Cynical, yes? We just hope it's the right color and flavor...

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

I still haven't sold the last one, what gives me the insane notion anyone will buy _this?_
The four other ones you have successfully sold? (And I understand these Things Take Time, but having to wait until November for Dragon's Teeth is kind of frustrating. Just so you know.)

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Since SIGNATURES, if finished, will represent the eleventh book-length manuscript in my collected works, selling four doesn't offer any defense against one more set of rejection slips.

And then there's the definition of "successfully sold." Sales for the three books already in print haven't overwhelmed my publisher with a rampaging desire for more of the same.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that selling vs. not selling and crap vs. not crap are two different issues.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Witness my mantra, "Crap sells. Crap sells. Crap sells."

And, as noted by the esteemed writer above, _all_ books go through the crap stage.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hey, they'll buy a twofer.

*Sending writerly vibes*

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

The Power of Positive Thinking.

[maribou]

And I'm at the stage where I think the entire book is crap. I still haven't sold the last one, what gives me the insane notion anyone will buy _this?_
I'm not a Real Writer, so the only thing I have to compare this feeling with is the sinking feeling I always got about 15 minutes before finishing a paper in college. "This is the worst paper ever!!! It's full of flaws and oversimplifications and the writing is far kludgier than I have any right to try and hand in!"

My husband explained to me once that the reason I felt that way is that by that point, I understood the specific topic I was writing about so well that I became my own worst critic - I had an Ideal Paper in my head that was perfect and so a paper that was, arguably, better than one anyone else could've written about exactly my topic, wasn't good enough for me anymore. Because it was only 99 percent perfect and that 1 percent was REALLY IMPORTANT DAMMIT. But only that important to me *because* of how thoroughly I'd invested myself in the topic in the first place.

My point being that you know your characters and your story so well (subconsciously at the very least) that now you have this novel-in-progress that is so good that anyone else will love it (at least based on my past experience of your novels), but it's only 99 percent as good as the Ideal Book in your head is. Since the rest of us don't have access to that Ideal Book, your 99 percent book will no doubt knock us off our feet. Even if you hate it for a while.

(I hope that makes any sense. I worked about 14 hours straight yesterday doing inventory and my brain is kinda scrambled.)

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Kind thoughts and fullsome praise _always_ make sense. Thank you.