I very nearly gave up writing this month.
Well, not entirely. I very nearly gave up wanting to publish my writing this month. I received a “this novel will never sell” blow from someone who “knows the business.” At that point I had to decide if I was writing for me, or if I was writing for a career–for other people–to get published–to become a traditionally published author.
And then I decided I was writing for me. I will still seek an agent and traditional publication, but I have to write because it’s my passion, not because “it will sell.”
The trouble was, I’d already started this project for NaNoWriMo. It’s tentatively titled Duobus Sedilibus (horrible title, I know): a Young Adult fantasy novel. Meaning; I spent too much time reading George RR Martin and wrote 50,013 words in the same vein as his Song of Ice and Fire series. It’s total crap, and I’m not sure there’s any way to fix it. I’m putting it away in the figurative deep, long drawer, and may come back to it eventually.
When I got back from a writer’s conference, I was convinced that I should be working on my more commercial works–the one I pitched at SFWC 2015 and the one whose pitch I polished at the Write to Market 2015 Conference in Corte Madera. I stopped working on Duobus Sedilibus (again, HORRIBLE title) and turned my attention to my other work.
I figured the person who writes any words for NaNoWriMo is a winner, because it’s more words than were written on October 31. Right? So, anyone who writes during the month of November is a winner. (This justifies my $16.97 spent on the “NaNoWriMo 2015 Winner” t-shirt, pre-ordered at the beginning of the month.) I was still a winner, even if I didn’t hit 50,000 words.
But then I got an email from the Write to Market organizer saying “don’t rush into things, don’t query agents before you’re ready, it’s okay to take your time…” (paraphrased, obviously.)
So I turned my attention back to Duobus Sedilibus, and finished 50,000 words.
I WON AT NANOWRIMO. (Like, officially.)
Of course, I’m nowhere near the end of that plot line. I’m not even sure where that novel is going. I didn’t even get to the mermaids.
Now that I’ve finished NaNo2015, I am turning my attention back to projects I was working on before November made me write 50,000 words in 30 days. I’ll be working on The Danger of Under, a Fantasy Novel, and Three Tiers, a Young Adult Science Fiction.
Oh, and I’ve got another story simmering in my head. Maybe I’ll start outlining for next November. 🙂
