I finished my manuscript with the 90 Day Novel Challenge, and now that I’m attempting to edit it, I hate it. I know that’s pretty strong, but I have this wonderful idea for a new novel that I like so much better, and I’m even going to attempt to pull back on the dialogue a bit more. Would it be terribly bad of me to give up on my other novel altogether and finish this better one? Or will I feel the same about this one after I’m done with it? The 90Day challenge was incredibly helpful for me, and I will carry all that knowledge with me forever, but I didn’t have any experience when I started it, so what came out was what I had in me in the beginning, and now I have something so much better because I finished it! This new story could just relate so much more to the reader, and the main character is actually me in sci-fi form, so I can just ask myself questions and make the story incredibly relatable!
I feel so discouraged with my other book that I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick through the the end and actually get it edited. There is so much pressure and I don’t work well with pressure! LOL!
So yeah… should I give up or not? Is this just the feeling everyone feels? As I read the book I’m editing I can see straight through the plot, and it is so simple. There is way too much dialogue, and not enough strong description, and the story is just complete garbage. That’s what I feel about it anyhow. I just wish I had a little encouragement. 😛 I could technically fix it, but as I contemplate that it feels insurmountable. I’ve never edited a novel before, and it is extremely foreboding!
Thanks for sticking me out!
-Colleen
You are so amazing to have done all that you did with this book/writing. You surpassed some very large hurdles which you could describe by completing the challenge. There is no failure in this accomplishment or the next one. They are all part of the process of developing in something that you enjoy and inspires you to grow.
I was actually thinking about this on my walk this morning so it is a God thing that I come home and read your question (seriously this is the first thing I did when getting home). I outlined multiple steps in my thinking which I won’t describe here to arrive at this thought:
It is okay if your first writing is not the one you continue on with. It is the one where you learned by doing. This book may be an idea that you come back to but go with an idea that excites you now. Especially if you have the motivation to go through the entire process again and how convenient that it starts in January.
Thanks for the encouragement, Dave!