How you know when to set aside a completed manuscript
Last year, when I was reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, she wrote about stories and manuscripts she had left behind or set aside. Sometimes the story didn’t come together in quite the right way, or another brighter, newer story overtook her and refused to be put down. Elizabeth discussed how difficult it could be to set aside a completed story, but that it’s a part of the writing process for many authors. While I was reading this, I understood it, but thought to myself, I wouldn’t do that with my manuscript though.
Months later, here I am - setting aside my YA science fiction manuscript for my more recently completed YA fantasy manuscript! If you’ve read the blog, you know I wrote a story very dear to my heart for #NaNoWriMo2019 and that I ended up winning with just over 50,000 words. After November ended, I didn’t stop. In January, I completed my manuscript of 80,000 words, and I was ecstatic. My current fantasy manuscript is an idea I’ve had since I was in the 6th grade, and it means the world to me. Thankfully it’s completely diffferent - 6th grader Kara’s plot was kind of garbage - but the spirit is still there.
My plan was to slowly edit my fantasy story while querying my sci fi manuscript. But the more I thought over my old story, the more imperfections I saw and the more I wanted to fix. I 100% pantsed my sci fi story - something that is a great fit for many writers, but a tactic I will never, ever, ever use again. At its core, it wasn’t as solid of a story as my new one. I’ve known this for months, but couldn’t bear the idea of “giving up” on my old story. I tried to brainstorm new opening chapter ideas, tweaked parts of the plot, and even considered throwing the whole thing in the trash, but nothing stuck. And I still couldn’t get my new story out of my head.
After talking with some close friends, I finally got the courage to set aside my sci fi story. I still feel guilty about this. I put years into the characters, the story, the editing. It feels like I’m abandoning a beloved pet. But right now, my heart is wrapped up in my new story, and I know it’s fundamentally sound. I’m submitting my new story to Author Mentor Match next month, and I want to put my best foot forward. Until then, I’ll be nonstop editing, tweaking, and getting together my query materials. But one day - maybe next year, maybe ten years from now - I’ll return to my sci fi story. I love those characters. They’re the fictional beings that got me back into writing after taking a break in college, and I’m forever indebted to them.
If you’ve ever had to set aside a story, let me know how your journey went. And if you’re submitting to Author Mentor Match, reach out. I’d love to do a query swap or hear about what you’re writing!