Romancing your new book idea: when to give in—and when to give up.
by Ruth Harris
Falling in love is easy. We’re swept away, starry-eyed, giddy with possibility. This time it’s different. Really!
But is it?
The Old Book Blues.
You’ve done it. Again!
You’ve written yourself into a blind alley.
You’re stuck, blocked, out of gas and out of ideas.
- The plot (if there is one) is a mess.
- The characters? You loved them. Way back when. But now you hate them. The hero is too Jack or Jane Righteous. The by-the-numbers cardboard villain wouldn’t scare a three-year-old.
- Info dumps.
- Backstory blahs.
- Pace? What pace? You mean you’re supposed to have pace?
- Cliffhangers? Oh, those. Too hard. I can’t never think of one.
- Your descriptions suck.
- Your dialogue, ditto.
- Plus, the setting is no help.
Inspiration has Turned to Desperation.
But, wait!
There’s escape on the horizon.
All you can think of is that fab new book idea, shining off in the distance, a glittering promise of True Love, Eternal Bliss, the Ms. or Mr. gorgeous/perfect/divine you’ve been waiting for all your life. Only it’s not a new lover, it’s the new book idea—the one that’s going to write itself.
The new book idea that’s never going to give you a problem.
- The plot will unfold sans glitches.
- Good guys and bad gals come to life as if by magic.
- Sparkling dialogue.
- Effervescent descriptions.
- Riveting narrative.
- Fabulous settings.
- Cliffhangers that force readers to stay up for “just one more chapter.”
- Perfect sentences and elegant paragraphs that need no editing.
- The book will make everyone bow down before your genius.
Maybe you should just bail out and junk all 80K words of that rotten/lousy/awful/terrible Old Book, the one you hate. The one that hates you back.
The more you struggle, the more that escape hatch looks better and better.
Mr/Ms New-And-Perfect beckons and you know, just know, that True Love will be yours.
You’re human, aren’t you?
Why be a hero?
Maybe you shouldn’t resist.
After all, What Feels Better than being Seduced?
Why not give in? A hot new romance will feel sooooo good.
No one’s forcing us to suffer, are they?
Stephen King never has a problem, does he?
And what about Nora Roberts? I bet she never gets stuck.
What are we? Masochists?
So why not go for it?
But Wait! Will a New Book Idea Really be Different?
Will a new book, new plot, new genre, new characters really be any different than the old plot, old genre, old characters?
Not if science knows what it’s doing. According to new research, eventually you will fall into the same dynamics with the new partner you’re currently so anxious to escape with the old partner. Your new romance uh, book, will eventually fall into the same patterns as the current despised WiP you can’t just wait to ditch.
Reason according to that same eight-year study is the new romance book is different, but you’re not.
You bring the same old blind spots, glitches and hang ups to the new romance book that tripped you up on your old romance book.
Bottom line: Before you decide to dump the Old Book and, as they say, move on, it’s important to understand that the book often isn’t the problem. You are.
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love? Ha!
As science demonstrated and as Shakespeare might have put it: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our book, but in ourselves.”
We Make the Mistakes so you Don’t Have to.
Anne and I have both been writers for a long time and both of us have been-there done-that—meaning at wit’s end, ready to give up, throw in the towel and start something new, better, hotter!
We’ve been tempted and sometimes we yield to temptation.
Sometimes turning our attention to the new book really is better than struggling with the old one, but not usually. Most of the time, it turns out to be the same-old-same-old.
We know how frustrating it is to feel stalled out on a book and think you will never get back on course.
We both have felt the powerful, seductive lure of The New Book, the one that will solve all our problems.
And we have both learned from experience that science (and Shakespeare) is right, and that one day the New Book is destined to suffer the same fate as the Old Book.
In fact, sharing our own mistakes and our efforts—some successful, some not—to correct them is one of the reasons for this blog.
The Difference Between a New Romance and a New Book Idea.
Because a new romance involves a new person. It is magic.
For a while. Specifically, until the honeymoon is over, and you find out that Mr/Ms Perfect isn’t.
The new book is magic, too. The honeymoon lasts for maybe five chapters. Maybe for 25K words.
But at some point, the inevitable snags arise and, sure as sh*t, you find yourself right back into a brick wall/blind alley you were sure you’d escaped.
In a romance, it’s easy to blame the other person, the Mr/Ms Perfect who turns out not to be.
A book is different. There’s no one else to blame.
So check the mirror. You’ve done it to yourself. Your new book is a puzzle you created and a puzzle you have to solve.
But how?
What can you do to change your game when you’ve blundered into the same discouraging, depressing Old Book Blues?
Read, Read, Read.
- In and out of your genre.
- Fiction and non-fiction.
- Newspapers and magazines, digital or printed.
- Cruise gossip, home decor and bass fishing sites looking for ideas.
- Wallow in other writer’s words and brilliant solutions.
- Feed your muse.
Research.
Often research will offer the—sometimes unexpected or even exciting—solution to your dilemma.
Google, obviously, but sites specializing in your topic can offer just the nugget you need to get you back on track.
Use your interviewing skills and talk to an expert. People who have recently retired are a great resource. They’ll enjoy talking about their area of knowledge, have time to answer your questions and, after that, to engage in follow-up queries. They can come up with the solution you would never have thought of. They can make the difference between meh and mahvelous.
Rewrite, Revise.
Maybe one more draft will solve the problem.
Maybe the problem is fixable with a minor (or major) edit.
Writing a book isn’t just writing. In the real world of professional authors it’s rewriting and revising that makes all the difference.
Characters Went AWOL?
Profiles in magazines like the New Yorker, and Atlantic are excellent sources for detailed character portraits.
For help with motivation, look to psychology. Check out Anne’s post about character disorders.
Consider Hannibal Lecter and the power of rogue characters.
Plot Glitches?
Consider the twists: she has a crush on her gorgeous neighbor, but it’s the neighbor’s soulful feng shui expert who really loves her.
Turn the tables: The assassin who faces assassination. The lover boy or lover girl who never strikes out, but suddenly does.
Force your MC to do the one thing s/he has vowed never to do.
Tips for fixing common unforced errors ranging from lapses in logic to unfinished plot arcs.
25 practical Tips on Plotting from top authors and editors.
Rx for Miscellaneous Book Miseries.
You need help with your first novel?
You’re not sure how to write your first chapter? Here’s a checklist to get your book headed in the right direction.
You need to write a killer first line?
Your dialogue sucks? Maybe indirect dialogue is the solution.
Your page turner has bogged down?
Your middle (ahem, the book’s middle) sags? Improved chapter endings can brighten and tighen that saggy middle.
Reach Out.
Craft books. Writer blogs. There are lots of them. Find the ones that speak to you. Pay attention to those and ignore the rest.
Crit groups can help steer you in the right direction, but beware the ones that would drive a saint crazy. And you’re no saint. Anne, who is a saint, offers a map. (This is Anne, laughing her saintly a** off. 🙂 )
Hire an editor. An editor who “gets” what you’re doing (or trying to do) can be worth their weight in truffles.
Put the ms away for breathing space.
Take another look. Later. Meanwhile, check out an old, unfinished ms and give it another look. Maybe you’ll find it’s better than you thought or that the plot twist you couldn’t come up then with just needs a minor tweak now.
Be like a shark. Always keep moving, because it’s not just you.
It’s every writer.
We’ve all been-there-done-that.
Remember.
According to Margaret Atwood—“If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no foolproof anything. There’s nothing foolproof.”
Not even a new romance with a new book idea.
Or, maybe, especially a new romance.
Sorry about that. 🙂
by Ruth Harris (@RuthHarrisBooks) September 29, 2019BOOK OF THE WEEK
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Those are all good ideas to kick-start a stalled manuscript.
Tempted by a new idea? Never, because I only have one idea at a time and new one doesn’t come along until I’m done with the first one. Sometimes a long time after that first one is done…
Alex—One idea at a time? Does that mean you’re *never* tempted? What’s the secret? 😉
Great materiel here Ruth- this column points out what a tremendous resource you and Anne have put together in your time here. Hyper-links popping up like mushrooms! It’s hard to have writer’s block when you aren’t writing, but this is the first place I’ll think of when that happens.
Will—Thanks for the kind words! The reason for the wealth of links is the amount of time we struggle. Which means we have plenty of material to draw from. Aaaargh!
This is soooo timely for me. I finally finished a first draft this summer and I am sick to death of the story (lame) and the characters (boring idiots). I’m not sure the project has a pulse. BUT, as I was uploading to Scrivener (I bit the bullet because trying to do this in Word was just not working) I did come across parts that made me think, “oh yeah, I do like this.” So I have started a shiny new project, but will revise the first manuscript along the way. Thanks for all the helpful links!
Lee—Oooooh! Shiny! New! Yay! 🙂 Lucky you!
Maybe it’s just me, but IME revision is the most rewarding part of writing—it’s where the magic happens. Bet you will now have TWO fabulous books in the works! Best of luck with them both! 🙂
Ruth, this is spot on! I am grinding my way through #8 in my police series and am falling out of love with the process. What to do? Run after a shiny object! Write a Western!
I’ve seen The Big Valley and even Gunsmoke re-runs. I can write a Western!
Actually, no I can’t, not without a TON of research. But “The Day Eb Hubbard Died” served to fluff up those writing feathers and make me fall in love with the grind again. Thanks for the Margaret Atwood quote–it’s so true.
Alas, my venture left Patsy Hubbard, Eb’s recent widow, sitting at a poker table with the deed to their ranch, with two cards and a gun. Open to suggestions as to what happens next.
Carmen—Glad to learn the post resonated. Thanks! Is the deed genuine or a forgery? HTH
Carmen – I love your Emilia Cruz series! Also love that you were one of my first followers on Twitter when I was brand new there!
What a pair of treasures you and Anne are, Ruth. It’s like plugging into the World’s Writer’s Greatest Brains! Brilliant.
Geraldine—Thank you for the excessive flattery! 🙂 Lots of days, we’re not so brilliant. Which gives us plenty of ideas—and the battle scars to prove it. 🙁
Sticking with it through thick and thin like a real life romance worked for me. The book and I hung in there. We went through every emotion you can think of. We even broke up a few times. But in the end we walked down the aisle. In other words we found a publisher who signed us.
Stick with it. Grow together. Iron out the bad stuff. Extend the good stuff and somehow, someway it’ll work.
Bryan—You’re sooooo right! Persistence—ie hanging in—is the name of the game. Other than that, there are no secrets. The sad, but ultimately encouraging, real real.
Howdy Ruth & Anne,
Wow. This isn’t a writerly challenge I’ve faced. Maybe it’s the old Protestant work ethic thing — no idea — but once I’m in, I’m in — well, during the draft phase of things. After revising, revising, revising, & revising some more I can definitely by lured away. The Pollyanna within says that’s because I must be done with the old project. That sounds good, doesn’t it?
Charlie/Chet
Charlie/Chet—Yep. Ye olde Protestant work ethic gets us past lots of storms and set backs. Often not at all easy in the short term, but definitely reliable in the long run. Or, as Bryan Fagan just above calls it, hanging in.
This was so helpful. I agree, we should give more attention and care to the old story before dumping it for the new, sexier book idea.
Great post, Ruth.
Ingmarhek—Thanks! You’re so right but new and sexy is sooooo come-hither! And we’re only human. Aren’t we? Still, noses back to grindstones. 🙁 As if. LOL
Ruth, you and Anne with the one-two punch! Great advice. I especially like what you had to say about “Read, Read, Read.” I have put together a short list of 5 fiction and non-fiction books to read–only one of which is related to my subject expertise. I can’t wait to read and learn from these authors. You just confirmed what I instinctively felt I should be doing. Thanks much!
Kenneth—Thanks! Glad to hear the post resonated. As Stephen King said: If you don’t read, you can’t write. Lucky for all of us who LOVE to read!
I was recently second guessing my idea for this year’s NaNo. One minute – I love it! The next minute – What was I thinking?! 😮
Time to put my head down and focus on all the things I like about the idea then work through the tough spots.
A timely post for me – thank you!
Madeline—Second guessing is the pits! Glad to hear the post helped clarify your approach.
Good luck with NaNo!
I love that phrase from Margaret Atwood that if we’re waiting for that perfect time, it will never arrive. I wish there was some ideal suggestion for what to write ABOUT. It seems to come to me when I don’t expect it. I wish there was a formula.
Patricia—You’re so right! To some extent we’re creatures of unexpected strikes of inspiration, but actually, there is a formula for creativity. Researchers in Austin came up with an approach concluding that, basically, lousy ideas lead to good ideas. You’ll find the details in my March post. HTH
https://annerallen.com/2019/03/new-research-formula-for-creativity/
I use the flow, do not stop writing. I have no less than three WiPs in action at any one time. When one bogs down another takes its place. In order to restart I must reread the past bits and whaha my subconscious has caught up and my characters are up to new and devious tricks.
If every things falls apart research and world building fuel the fires. For me though I can never read outside of my work. Reading does nothing but line up sparkly new ideas.
Sam—Sounds like you have a very productive method in place. I completely agree that the subconscious works on a different timeline and often needs time to catch up with us! Thanks for sharing the details of your process. Appreciated!
I agree with you – mostly ;). The thing is that some relationships don’t work no matter how hard you try. I’ve a manuscript that I’ve been working on and off for four years and the relationship is strained to the point of irreconcilable differences. I’ve realised that I’ve created two different stories in one but neither is independent of the other. To use a different metaphor- it’s like Siamese twins where the babies share sets of organs. I’m not sure they can be separated.
So, to mix metaphors even further, I’m taking a break. I need to get a win or two before I can even attempt the surgery. A cozy-esque NaNoWriMo mystery beckons. After that I need to finish a novelette. Then we’ll see. Maybe I’ll pick up my scalpel again and take another stab at love 😉
Susan—As the old song goes, “breaking up is hard to do” even though another old song suggests “50 ways to leave your lover.” Ditching a book that doesn’t work is sometimes necessary—at least temporarily, at other times permanently.
Problem is, sometimes old books, like old lovers, have a way of hanging around. And sometimes, giving yourself time to reconsider can make all the difference. Even if you decide on divorce, it’s a good idea to keep the old book on your hard drive. Maybe it can be recycled, turned into a novella, or be reincarnated as a basis for a newer New Book!
I have TOO many projects–but they’re short stories. Too MANY alternate scenarios. BUT I’ve set some deadlines for myself, So I WILL make the choices that need making.
Still do have a couple novels on the schedule–been sitting there a while. No chance I’ll start another without progress on those. One is for next year, BTW. Where there’s a will, there is a way. And you have pointed out a whole slew of ways here! Thanks for all the tips. 🙂
John—Sounds like you have lots & lots of ideas that just need to be honed down. A sign of rich creativity. Thanks for the kind words and hope the tips help. As always, best of luck with your work!