I wrote a book. Polished it. Queried it. Got a good number of full requests but no offers of representation. An author friend told me she thought the first chapter was problematic. I couldn't figure out a fix for that because it was 100% necessary. I eventually trunked it. I'd found the querying process so soul destroying that I quit writing entirely. Several years passed. A coworker asked to read it, and I dug it out. She loved it. I reread it... and it's good. I figured out how to fix that first chapter, and I decided to self publish it. My husband asked if I wanted to re-query, but nope. Shall not go that way again. Am in the process of self publishing now. Had to pause for financial reasons after changing jobs, but I'll have it out next year. Took a while, but I'm actually really excited about it.
idk why people just try traditional publishing first and if that doesnt work they give up without going for self publishing... it's like giving up at the middle point
@@xChikyx Honestly, a LOT of books aren't ready for prime time when they're queried. Most of them, in fact. They aren't ready for self publishing either. I'm actually glad that people don't just automatically self publish the slush. I've had a fair amount of external validation from sources I respect that my book IS ready, so I'm moving forward.
@@reinventingmelissa2061 yes, but, I mean, I know peoplr who have great books, their beta reader think its a great book, but they get rejected by agents and then they just give up
@@harrishadi4556 The criticism of my first chapter? The protagonist wasn't in it, and it seemed to set up a different kind of story. If you read the first chapter and answered the question, "What's the book about?", you'd say, "A boy and his dog." Nope. Oh, the boy and the dog are pivotal to the story, but the protagonist is an adult, and the story is about an estranged family coming together after an unexpected death.
Literally watched half of this video and then went back on my WIP that has not been working for 3+ years and out of pure spite (no offense, I just don't like the idea of "you can't" when it comes to writing) hellbent on making it work, and literally figured out the major issues the book has had for years in like 15 minutes. I'm always coming back to this WIP and trying to fix it; and I always fail. I've literally tried hundreds of times. Today it just clicked. Thanks for the video!
I actually feel the same now - like who the hell is this guy to tell me to throw away my work if he hasn´t even read any of it. No way I´m throwing this story away, it just needs some more time to cook, some years on the shelf and a few hundred proof readings. And it deserves all of it!
I think I needed this. I made a promise to finish my Grandfather's book when he asked family to do so when he passed away. I've been going back and forth on it for years. I think it really sunk in when your example in #7 was EXACTLY what this story is: a story about Native Americans, written by a white author. I have always been and will continue to be against the idea that one must be the identity of the characters in order to write the book, but it is becoming more clear to me now that focusing on finishing this to be a published work is robbing me of time and energy better spent on my own stories that I am more passionate about. Thanks for the video!
@@davidsandrock7826 Don't get me wrong, I am still finishing the book, I am just less stressed about it becoming published. It will first are foremost be something enjoyed by family.
I am a painter not an author; however, I have abandoned many a painting. Under most of my finished pieces there is another image that I may have worked on for months but just wasn’t satisfied with it. Some of my favorite pieces actually incorporate bits of the underlying artwork that I’ve strategically left exposed after adding additional layers. As you said, the time I spent on a painting I abandoned wasn’t wasted; I still improved my skills
My view on this is: If your novel doesn't work, ask yourself "What do I need to do to make it work?" Sure, there are stories that can't be salvaged, but if you really have a strong vision for your story and "feel" that it'll be worth writing, then not writing it or finishing it feels like a waste to me
The book I was writing was very personal to me; tackling some things that I have gone through, and having some allegories for real life things I see. I took most of the subplots and themes within it from daydreams I had as a kid, and tried to form a plot out of them. This made it incredibly hard to make a decision, but the book never had the magic that the original idea had in my head. I'm not giving up on it entirely, because I never got past the outlining stage to tell you the truth. But I am taking a break from it until I get any spark of creativity and inspiration for it. If that time ever comes, then I'll put my full effort into writing the novel I've dreamt about since childhood.
I needed this so much 😭 I am 16 and have been working on a book since I was 15… and it’s discouraging sometimes. It’s fantasy, so the majority of my working on this book has been world-building. When I actually do write, however, I normally scrap it 4-5 chapters in and restart (I have done this at least 6 times already). I don’t feel like it should be ditched entirely, but hearing that since it’s my first book I should finish it kinda helps me stay motivated.
@@r.e.holding Well, at least I’m not the only one… I only hope I don’t take that long… I am so bad at following goals, but I wanna at least have this done by next December. 😅😭
I would say these writers who threw away their novel must not have had a wife like Stephen King who pulled "Carrie" from the trash bin. Many writers are just too hyper-critical of their work. They've worked so hard at planting trees in the forest, to the point of blind exhaustion, that they can no longer see how beautiful their forest has become.
4 years ago I abandoned my first book. The first idea came to me in a dream, when I was 15, and grew in me for months, 4 years writing it and when I ended I just threw it away with a smile. Once a year I read it all. The younger me isnt me anymore, but this book literally changed my whole life, with all the problems, with all the lack of organization, with all the infinite writing, I still love it as a good memory. 3 years ago I tried starting something in the same line, but yeah. Not going anywhere, now I'm 3ish years deep in a project that I love and my beta readers too.
I've absolutely had to do this on numerous occasions. I have 4 books written in one setting, and it's fun, but at the end of the day the level of unnaturally heightened emotion means it is never going to sell. Ever. So it's a fun diversion I can think back on lovingly, but I can't noodle away at that series anymore when I know it will lead nowhere.
I mean, it'll lead to a finished book. It sounds like you're self-conscious and possibly afraid to put it out there, but even if it only resonates with a handful of people - It could become somebody's favourite book. It could matter more than you'd ever know.
I've ultimately thrown out every book I've ever started. Even had a first draft of one 80% done, fairly recently. I don't know the difference between chronic depression and genuine self-critique, but, when I can't get my friends who _love_ to read to commit to giving me feedback, I think that's probably a sign that I belong somewhere else. I appreciate this video. It's really gotten me to think about some of my life choices that have led me here, and maybe it's just saved me a lot of time and effort. I think this hobby is doing more harm than good to me.
Don't just ask friends ask others such as actual editors as well even if you have to pay. Friends owe you nothing but you pay someone to read and give ya feedback then they are going to read and give ya feedback
I finished the first draft 4 years ago, but I'm trying to revise, and.... aaarrrggghh!! it's been shelved, it's been changed, it's been played with. I do want to publish it, but the person I'd promised it to doesn't care. He's older now and had forgotten about it. I've been working on it, off and on, for 7-10 years. Maybe it's the title:The Curse. ?? Thanks for the encouragement. I do have other books waiting in the wings. There is still the thought of writing the 2nd (doesn't have to be "final") draft using the notes I've made thus far and give it to my beta reader(s). Anyway, thanks. Best video on writing I've seen lately, considering the situation I'm in with this book.
I’ve been working on my book for around 7 years (the initial story I wrote was a fanfic from when I was 12). During high school, I finished the first draft thanks to some pushing from my Mom. She had someone beta read it (a friend who published her own book) and I was given a few things to work on with. For instance I had too many characters, only two of my cast were interesting (the main character and his confidante luckily), and it started getting boring in the middle. I tried to fix those issues, but randomly decided I’d just rewrite the whole thing. Tried three times and it didn’t fully work so I just left the finished draft and worked on other stuff. Came back a couple months ago and finally figured out how to tackle the draft I almost scrapped. It still needs work in numerous areas, but I feel like I’m making progress now!
Reading the posthumous Pirate Latitudes, you can tell. The first half is a fairly polished fun read. Then you get to get to the point where you realize you're reading an unfinished first draft. The difference in quality is remarkable. Hemingway said something along the lines, "The only writing is rewriting." I still wish he had a chance to finish it.
Keep 📖 all of your work. I went back to a film 📽️ I made in highschool, and it was such an amazing experience. Some aspects that I was critical of at the time that I made it, didn't seem like a big deal. It was a moment in time.
Wow, I had already done this and didn't realize it until now. The book I'm writing now for my debut novel, I'm in love with it. I love the characters and I love the story I'm telling. 40k out of 80k for my first draft, and no plans of slowing down. The story I was trying to write before, not so much. I loved the idea of it when it first popped into my brain, and I think Genevieve and Nathan will make a reappearance some day, but not in that plot. I've outgrown it and I just don't see anything coming of it. I'd rather finish my debut novel, learn and grow from that, and then revisit!
Sometime, abandoning a novel, and letting it rest while you learn and grow is a good thing. I have one, working title is "Shadows of Verrhaven" which is a high fantasy mystery/thriller that would be right at home in Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms. It was first being written as a novelized version of a D&D game... But it wasn't actually LitRPG (as some people would conclude.) It was third person present tense, then switched to past tense. Lots of head-hopping, and the structure felt really wonky and doughy. And it didn't seem to want to fit into any easy "box." -- BUT! After years of reading, growing, fiddling with other stuff... And then most recently reading "Techniques of the Selling Writer" By Dwight V. Swain, that book made everything click. I know exactly how to fix it. It was already structured pretty decently, but there will need to be some fat cut, and a few things added... and it should *sing.* - Since I read Techniques, I've been plugging along with my revision plan, and can't wait to get busy on it.
I'm thinking of dropping my story. It's evolved into a series of books and I feel like one of my main ideas was really good and I've been trying to salvage the entire series just for that one idea and a handful of moments surrounding it. But the whole point of the idea is that it's in the background, so it's basically like I'm writing an entirely new series every time I overhaul it and I'm having trouble making the ending work. I'm thinking about maybe keeping just a couple of the scenes and trying to make them into their own book.
Sounds stupid, but I have written some novels I didn't want to publish after finishing, due to different problems coming up (mostly market and falling out of love). What I did was putting those novels up on Wattpad to get them out of my head. Because keeping them on my drive would make me bound to them. But publishing on Wattpad keeps it open for revisions, IF I want to come back to it. It's a sandbox to play in, especially for more young audience oriented stuff. But I also abandoned ideas and half-written projects as well. Even complete novels, out of different reasons. I may come around to them again, but realistically I won't 😂
I spent 5 months trying to learn and get the hang of writing and loving the process, by attempting to write my first novel. The longest thing I wrote before, was a 5000 word short story. This novel attempt reached 20,000+ words but I didn't know how to get things going in the vague plot. After learning so much in the craft during the process, I realized how flawed it was. I'd already pitched it to several producers and they loved my presentation and the concept and asked for when they could get signed copies. But, I wasn't ready to write that book yet. All writing is practice after all, so it wasn't a waste. Now, I've spent the past 7 months to work on something new I've completely structured and plotted for a joyful execution -- it's been a complete banger to write. I love the craft now, and figured how to get the most out of myself when it comes to writing. It's fully planned out for self-publishing as a debut novel, since that's the option that's worked for my friends where I live and it fits my circumstances better. It's been a wonderful ride and I'm 55000 words in and hoping to finish the last few chapters this month and start revising while editing to publish by early December, all while working on the cover art and insert illustrations myself and getting beta readers beforehand. Hopefully a little while after I finish this one, I can rework my abandoned novel. I never really fell out of love with it; I just realized I wasn't capable of doing that story justice, with the limited writing experience I had at the time. Nice video, liked and subscribed.
My decades-long Work In Progress - which I completed but was not happy with - has undergone a couple of radical revisions and was midway through yet another when I stopped working on it a few years ago... I haven't listed it as "abandoned", yet, but I'm not holding any hope that it'll get finished...
I threw out a novel at chapter 4, and I am so glad I did, because it was just holding me up from starting my current novel series, which is 100x better than that precious project.
First and foremost, throwing away ideas, unfinished books, paintings, etc., simply doesn’t happen for me. I always tell myself, “Never call it a loss if, along the way, you’ve learned something.” The knowledge and experience we gain while navigating the process of abandoning an entire project are not losses. They are integral to our development. Around the world, people face similar challenges daily-ending relationships, breaking marriages. In essence, if we need to leave a project behind, we should view this painful process as a stepping stone in our personal growth.
I had to abandon my first novel. I was on the second draft or maybe the first (if you think of my first draft as a first draft or photodraft) but then I realized a fundamental flaw. My characters were one dimensional. So, I abandoned that novel, took its very core concept and changed everything else. My new one's coming along much better now, because the characters are actually complex and feel noteworthy emotions such as self loathe, and guilt. I made the right decision.
Think of it like every other craft. A carpenter probably isn’t going to sell the first chair he makes. Because it’s his first, it’s a little rough… but he uses what he learned, then does it better the next time.
I did that with my first one. Too bad to fix. But not 'thrown away' as in deleting, it's there, buried to always remind me where I started. Good practice though
I wrote something around 30,000 words of a novel 3 years ago, and it was absolute shit. Now I'm working on a novel that has many of the same themes I was trying to convey in a story that actually makes sense, with characters that are fleshed out and whole. So glad I didn't waste more time on that POS! I'm basically writing now what I was trying to write then, and it's so much better! But I also won't hate myself if something about this story also doesn't work.
Bruh, how can you note come up with an ending to the Garden of Eden!? It is obvious neither spouse gets the girl at the end due to their selfishness. The girl probably dies, but she could also just find her true love and move away. There done! Masterpiece!
"THROW AWAY" translates better as "PUT IN RECYCLING BIN" because a lot of your examples weren't completely trashed, but reworked into something different.
I threw mine away bcs I was too broke to handle the editing and book covers and advertisement, best decision. Now I know I want something much better for that novel.
Sometimes if ya can't think of a ending you could just leave it at a to be continued type of ending even if you never plan to finish it, as sometimes it's better to just spread your book idea out to many books. And sometimes despite how sucky it feels it's just better to let the antagonist win if you can't think of a ending or how to protagonist are going to get around them, as the last thing you want is for it to feel like a Deus Ex Machina since no one likes plot mandated wins they want it to feel earned
I’ve been a writer since I was a teen. And I have shelved thousands of ideas. I think I may have my golden idea now, I’m half way through writing it now but I don’t know how it should end, should I ditch this one too?
Stephen King threw his first novel in the trash, his wife dug it out and told him to keep trying, then he went on to become one of the best and most prolific authors in all of human history. Don’t throw your books away, leave them and come back to them a few months or a few years later.
No, I didn’t find the video depressing. It was the other way around: it was actually helpful. Sometimes we all have to very hard decisions in life so that we can progress
I finished my first 42k word story in July. I doubt I'll ever do anything with it. It means something to me, but is too niche for anyone else to find interest in. I'm about 40k into my second story and it's about halfway, but I just don't know where to take it from there. Probably will end up not finishing it, or if I do, also letting it sit on my HDD.
Niche stuff is great, man. Those are cult classics. There's always an audience of people out there interested in tiny topics that nobody else cares about.
You never know. Niche to you doesn't mean you're an island. It's like those weird words that describe something that you can't believe happens enough to have a name. I guess test readers will tell you.
How depressing. (Deleting files from computer) I'm not a writer anyway. I'm just an engineer by training. Only a couple of years' work down the drain. What a waste of time. Ironically, this is what my MC's flaw, is (was), thinking he was never good enough and that he'll never accomplish anything of worth. So much for THAT dream... Who was I kidding? Only myself, of course. Moving on... Goodbye.
Dmitri Shostakowitsh said that you have to write a basket full of manuscripts before something good comes along. But that is normal. If you are a carpenter your first table will not be your best. And so it goes for every profession.
Fortunately i'm just writing for fun, to get adventures other authors don't write stories about. At present a german author who has worked on a book for ten years is cursing a jury that gave a price to another author. 😢
Yeah, and also fine with double standards. I don't give one shit the race of the author. Is it a good book? Great! Intersectionality is toxic toxic toxic.
I did not even know such a concept exists. I don't quite understand it. So for example high fantasy writers can't write about underground dwarf city unless he or she suffers from dwarfism and lives in a cave? What a weird train of thought they have had when coming up with this standard.
@@krzysztofiwan4901 no? The problem arises from writing about cultures that you aren't from and don't understand. This can become an issue when the author accidentally misrepresents the culture they're writing about. This idea is largely a response to white people writing about other cultures and horribly misrepresenting them, making them appear as dumb, violent, evil, cannibalistic and wholly uncivilized.
I don’t really think it’s possible to throw writing away. Just because you shelf a novel doesn’t mean it’s been trashed. You don’t share most of your work. That’s just fact. I’ve written numerous books and some I’ll never publish, some I might return to, but the ones I never touch again I still learned from and still am influenced by the time I spent with them. Like my first book I spent 6 years on and thought of a better story idea with a start middle and end, and wrote the first draft in a month and a year and a bit later wrote another and less than a year later, another. I think if you don’t know the end of the story you are writing, you should keep writing, but abandon it if you think of a better project.
I already made one video request but I have another that I haven't found a comprehensive answer for- the boring parts of novels. I always wonder why they include so much stuff that isn't necessary. I understand its for pacing in someways and world building in some ways, but lots of times to me it seems not necessary, like the writer just wanted to include it. Thank you. Edit: it may be a pacing issue that I'm really misreading. I just want to know how and when to do the slow parts.
You might want to clarify that request. There are so many mistakes that can make a section boring. And then things that are not necessary can be interesting, so that is not the same thing. The second question is probably easier, namely the rule is that everything should advance the storyline in some fashion, but teachers tell students instead that they have to create the mood, to put the reader there. And, of course, there is plain infodumping, because deleting information you spent time creating is hard to do. I think of it as a challenge, namely how can I allude to this information without saying it directly. Say a person misses home. To read, 'She was really, really missing her mother and her cooking, esp. her cooking,' is boring. Better to show it obliquely, like the girl does something strange (like touch a bracelet or ring) when home is mentioned casually in a conversation. Carol Burnett always tugged her earlobe to tell her mother that she loved her and was thinking of her.
Frodo's journey through Mordor was very hard for me to read, but now I understand that it was needed to show both how hard the task was and to show why Frodo and not Sam should have carried the ring.
This all depends on how iconic your first idea for a book is. If you’re sitting on the next Percy Jackson or hunger games, don’t get all doubtful about it. However, if you’re writing some crazy strange sci-fi, or a boring urban mystery or basic romance that’s been written 100,000 times before, then yeah, maybe your book is lackluster. I don’t get why people try to write unoriginal things as their magnum opus
To the people wondering why publishers turned down the non-indigenous person writing about the experience of being indigenous: Maybe if media didn't have a long history of preferring white narratives about indigenous people to actual indigenous people telling their own stories. But that's not the world we live in. Even if publishers didn't care, it would still be a ridiculous business decision to add onto the heap. Indigenous authors haven't even been able to court mainstream audiences until recently. Picture the portraits of the authors you were assigned to read in high school -- are any indigenous? Let's take an example: For some reason, you want to write a book about growing up and living in Chad. You can research all you want, you could even visit, but you're not going to understand what it's like to live your whole life there, because you haven't. It's just something you can't know, and that's okay. Other people in the world can't know what it's like to have been in your shoes, and that's okay. We don't have to act arrogant and assume we know everything about everyone. However, if you want to write your sci fi about a scientist from Chad who discovers aliens, go ahead! Grab yourself some beta readers from Chad to add that extra level of authenticity, and you're golden. Don't you think it's a bit odd to want to write what it's like to live and grow in a culture *you* didn't live and grow in? Why would a reader want to read about what a white lady in LA thinks growing up in the Bronx as a Black teenager is like? Why not pick up the book by the person who lived it? As a reader, I want to hear *your* story. Even if your characters are riding dragons or building cyborgs, or just sitting down to tea, I want to read *your* take on that. Do your research, of course, but I want to hear about your unique experiences, and the way your wonderful characters see the world!
Heh heh, I've ditched more stories than I've ever self-published. Maybe I'm not meant to be a writer... It's fun as hell when I'm on a role and the creativity's flowing fast, but it doesn't last long for me. Then it dries up and I hit the wall of that dreaded Writer's Block, and rarely find a way through...
I had my book with a beta reader. But I knew I could never be happy. I edited, edited, and edited. But when I got it back from my beta reader, I knew, he knew. It wasn´t good. Half of it worked, the other half didn´t. Great test run for my first script. I learned a ton, and now working on something else in my native language instead. Edit: I loved the main characters from the original script, but hated the world. It represented my own fractured mind at the time, and as I healed, it felt more and more "wrong." I´m reusing the characters, but in a world, and a way that I love.
I find burying my unwanted novels in the garden is much more effective. I do this at night so the neighbors think that I'm hunting slugs and not insane.
the only one that is concerning to my current work is the Native American aspect i do have one pov that is part Navajo I'm am not but i had cousin that was Native American but sadly he died many years ago maybe i should put that in the dedication any thoughts on this
I personally don't think it's a good idea to destroy the novel you feel isn't working, but definitely move on to another one if you feel you're spinning your wheels. Maybe return to the troubled one later... a long time later... with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Maybe you'll see how to fix it, or maybe it is unworkable from concept onward and will exist as an interesting experiment.
This may sound weird, but this was...motivating? I'm at 50% of my manuscript and I sort of choked, looking at the outline and thinking "and this is just the first draft..." but even if it never gets re-writes I'm going to finish it, dangnabbit!
Hey, I'm happy for you! I think one of the points of the video is that there are plenty of times when you SHOULDN'T throw away your novel, so that sounds good for me that you figured out how to move forward.
Art is subjective. There are "subpar" works online with millions of fans. Throwing away your book is a generational thing, i believe. If those writers had the Internet and independent platforms, without the traditional gatekeepers, i bet wayy less of those get shelved.
The artists of the past were wayyyy more brutal with themselves. There are artists who would paint over their old work, writers who would burn their old work. Its literally impossible to say how much they abandoned because they hated their learning process works so they would destroy them entirely.
OwnVoices is BS. It's the job an author to live in the skin of many different kinds of characters, from all nationalities, all races, all genders, all experiences. No one owns an identity.
I didn't throw away one book and regret it. It is a bit of a blemish on my skills. The other one I didn't throw away because I couldn't (contractual complexities) and is a second blemish. If a story is clearly not working for you and you have no idea how to fix it, throw the book away, get busy with something new. It's a waste of time for a project that gives you nothing but frustration. If you feel sorry for the hero, give him a new adventure. Don't cling to a project that isn't worth sticking to. Ok, I hate reason 7 because it is idiotic. I am a white woman. Does that mean I can't write a book taking place in ancient Egypt talking about the Pharaohs? Does that mean I can't tell a story about a Zulus warrior? But then no one should write history books, and books by white people can't feature people of color, just wait, won't the author then be considered racist? I write and sell gay romances, enjoyed by both men and women (I don't ask and their orientation). I'm not a man and I'm not gay, and my readers know this and yet they love my books and appreciate them for their excellent emotional realism. According to Rule No. 7, I have no right to write these books because I am not gay enough and not male enough. Ah, unless I start identifying myself as such, then I can, yes? ;)
A couple things I wanna say: It sounds like you're kinda bashing self-publishing. Please don't do that. Also, the whole "if you publish a bad book, you can't take it back." This is true, but it doesn't have to harm your name. If you're not sure whether the book works, self-publish it under a pen name and see how it does. If people end up loving it, great. Continue writing under that pen name. If not, abandon the pen name. Sure, it will still continue to exist, but it won't harm you because no one will know it's you.
Hmmm, I wasn't trying to bash self publishing. In my other videos, like 9 Huge Lies about Self Publishing I talk about a lot of benefits of self publishing. ruclips.net/video/is4bTpk3bPw/видео.html Pen name is a good idea.
What if thousands of people would of loved that book? Example: Stephen King threw away his book Carrie but his wife took it out the trash and he published it. The rest is history. Better to try and fail then never try at all.
I think there is a lot of wisdom in the message of what you're saying, but it is lost in how you're deliviring it, and which examples you're sharing and the complete lack of detail in regards to those examples. "Well famous author did it" is not enough and a huge cop out. "Oh Stephen King did it once, and he he still published some of it" is really not a compelling argument. "Ernest Hemmingway worked on something for years until he abandoned it." is not compelling either? Giving vague qualifiers like "he may have sensed it would do poorly." is also a cop out. What was bad? Why was it bad? What made it deserving to be trashed (not recycled, given your use of words)? Why did they think the idea was good to begin with and then 'throw it awa?' I put ideas on a backburner or recycle them, and rarely "throw them away" because even if the first idea I had with that storyline didn't work out, it could still work in a different story. Like a rom-com with an android who thinks it is human finding love with a real human, only to realize that for some reason it is more attracted to zeroes and ones, but only in a particular pattern and that's when it discovers it's an android and has an affair with the answering machine since it is the only one who listens. It didn't work in the dystopian futuristic world I was setting my story in, but it does work on its own right and in something less futuristic where answering machines aren't obsolete.
I was 16 when I published a book I published Wattpad, I would write each part and upload it right after. You could see my writing improve as you read the story. I got pretty popular, but reading it back now years later, I understand why people liked it, it was hilarious. It read like a parody once I started to get decent at the act of writing itself. But oh my god it was so tacky and unrealistic.
I wrote a book. Polished it. Queried it. Got a good number of full requests but no offers of representation. An author friend told me she thought the first chapter was problematic. I couldn't figure out a fix for that because it was 100% necessary. I eventually trunked it. I'd found the querying process so soul destroying that I quit writing entirely. Several years passed. A coworker asked to read it, and I dug it out. She loved it. I reread it... and it's good. I figured out how to fix that first chapter, and I decided to self publish it. My husband asked if I wanted to re-query, but nope. Shall not go that way again. Am in the process of self publishing now. Had to pause for financial reasons after changing jobs, but I'll have it out next year. Took a while, but I'm actually really excited about it.
idk why people just try traditional publishing first and if that doesnt work they give up without going for self publishing... it's like giving up at the middle point
@@xChikyx Honestly, a LOT of books aren't ready for prime time when they're queried. Most of them, in fact. They aren't ready for self publishing either. I'm actually glad that people don't just automatically self publish the slush. I've had a fair amount of external validation from sources I respect that my book IS ready, so I'm moving forward.
@@reinventingmelissa2061 yes, but, I mean, I know peoplr who have great books, their beta reader think its a great book, but they get rejected by agents and then they just give up
May I ask what the criticism was?
@@harrishadi4556 The criticism of my first chapter? The protagonist wasn't in it, and it seemed to set up a different kind of story. If you read the first chapter and answered the question, "What's the book about?", you'd say, "A boy and his dog." Nope. Oh, the boy and the dog are pivotal to the story, but the protagonist is an adult, and the story is about an estranged family coming together after an unexpected death.
Literally watched half of this video and then went back on my WIP that has not been working for 3+ years and out of pure spite (no offense, I just don't like the idea of "you can't" when it comes to writing) hellbent on making it work, and literally figured out the major issues the book has had for years in like 15 minutes. I'm always coming back to this WIP and trying to fix it; and I always fail. I've literally tried hundreds of times. Today it just clicked. Thanks for the video!
spite is excellent in small motivating doses
I actually feel the same now - like who the hell is this guy to tell me to throw away my work if he hasn´t even read any of it. No way I´m throwing this story away, it just needs some more time to cook, some years on the shelf and a few hundred proof readings. And it deserves all of it!
That is awesome, hopefully that sets you up for a steady line on progress in the near future (:
A few years back, I threw away my thirty-thousand-word novella. It had one flaw... it was terrible.
Understandable, I've been there.
I threw mine away. You're right. It needed a full overhaul. It's like trying to patch a bucket full of holes. Just get a new one!
I think I needed this.
I made a promise to finish my Grandfather's book when he asked family to do so when he passed away. I've been going back and forth on it for years. I think it really sunk in when your example in #7 was EXACTLY what this story is: a story about Native Americans, written by a white author. I have always been and will continue to be against the idea that one must be the identity of the characters in order to write the book, but it is becoming more clear to me now that focusing on finishing this to be a published work is robbing me of time and energy better spent on my own stories that I am more passionate about. Thanks for the video!
A promise to a loved one might be a _bit_ more important than just any random old WIP.
@@davidsandrock7826 Don't get me wrong, I am still finishing the book, I am just less stressed about it becoming published. It will first are foremost be something enjoyed by family.
I am a painter not an author; however, I have abandoned many a painting. Under most of my finished pieces there is another image that I may have worked on for months but just wasn’t satisfied with it. Some of my favorite pieces actually incorporate bits of the underlying artwork that I’ve strategically left exposed after adding additional layers. As you said, the time I spent on a painting I abandoned wasn’t wasted; I still improved my skills
It's amazing how the creative principles overlap between totally different forms.
Just starting a new project. This confirms for me that moving on is the right choice.
My view on this is: If your novel doesn't work, ask yourself "What do I need to do to make it work?" Sure, there are stories that can't be salvaged, but if you really have a strong vision for your story and "feel" that it'll be worth writing, then not writing it or finishing it feels like a waste to me
The book I was writing was very personal to me; tackling some things that I have gone through, and having some allegories for real life things I see. I took most of the subplots and themes within it from daydreams I had as a kid, and tried to form a plot out of them. This made it incredibly hard to make a decision, but the book never had the magic that the original idea had in my head. I'm not giving up on it entirely, because I never got past the outlining stage to tell you the truth. But I am taking a break from it until I get any spark of creativity and inspiration for it. If that time ever comes, then I'll put my full effort into writing the novel I've dreamt about since childhood.
I needed this so much 😭 I am 16 and have been working on a book since I was 15… and it’s discouraging sometimes.
It’s fantasy, so the majority of my working on this book has been world-building. When I actually do write, however, I normally scrap it 4-5 chapters in and restart (I have done this at least 6 times already).
I don’t feel like it should be ditched entirely, but hearing that since it’s my first book I should finish it kinda helps me stay motivated.
If it makes you feel better, it took me 20 years of scrapping to get what I wanted 😅
@@r.e.holding Well, at least I’m not the only one… I only hope I don’t take that long… I am so bad at following goals, but I wanna at least have this done by next December. 😅😭
@@DragonRiderElf oh I totally get that. At least you recognize it!
The perfect video to watch after I've just started writing a novel for the 20th time.
I would say these writers who threw away their novel must not have had a wife like Stephen King who pulled "Carrie" from the trash bin. Many writers are just too hyper-critical of their work. They've worked so hard at planting trees in the forest, to the point of blind exhaustion, that they can no longer see how beautiful their forest has become.
@11:30 once I was told to write the second half of a book first, and then work backwards
4 years ago I abandoned my first book. The first idea came to me in a dream, when I was 15, and grew in me for months, 4 years writing it and when I ended I just threw it away with a smile. Once a year I read it all. The younger me isnt me anymore, but this book literally changed my whole life, with all the problems, with all the lack of organization, with all the infinite writing, I still love it as a good memory.
3 years ago I tried starting something in the same line, but yeah. Not going anywhere, now I'm 3ish years deep in a project that I love and my beta readers too.
Glad I’m the first. Love ya vid, helped me a lot as a junior high student in both academic and *fun*writing. Thanks so much!
I've absolutely had to do this on numerous occasions. I have 4 books written in one setting, and it's fun, but at the end of the day the level of unnaturally heightened emotion means it is never going to sell. Ever. So it's a fun diversion I can think back on lovingly, but I can't noodle away at that series anymore when I know it will lead nowhere.
I mean, it'll lead to a finished book. It sounds like you're self-conscious and possibly afraid to put it out there, but even if it only resonates with a handful of people - It could become somebody's favourite book. It could matter more than you'd ever know.
I've ultimately thrown out every book I've ever started. Even had a first draft of one 80% done, fairly recently. I don't know the difference between chronic depression and genuine self-critique, but, when I can't get my friends who _love_ to read to commit to giving me feedback, I think that's probably a sign that I belong somewhere else.
I appreciate this video. It's really gotten me to think about some of my life choices that have led me here, and maybe it's just saved me a lot of time and effort. I think this hobby is doing more harm than good to me.
Don't just ask friends ask others such as actual editors as well even if you have to pay. Friends owe you nothing but you pay someone to read and give ya feedback then they are going to read and give ya feedback
I finished the first draft 4 years ago, but I'm trying to revise, and.... aaarrrggghh!! it's been shelved, it's been changed, it's been played with. I do want to publish it, but the person I'd promised it to doesn't care. He's older now and had forgotten about it. I've been working on it, off and on, for 7-10 years. Maybe it's the title:The Curse. ?? Thanks for the encouragement. I do have other books waiting in the wings. There is still the thought of writing the 2nd (doesn't have to be "final") draft using the notes I've made thus far and give it to my beta reader(s). Anyway, thanks. Best video on writing I've seen lately, considering the situation I'm in with this book.
Writing and not publishing is like taking a college class and not using the credit towards a degree. You are still better for it.
I’ve been working on my book for around 7 years (the initial story I wrote was a fanfic from when I was 12). During high school, I finished the first draft thanks to some pushing from my Mom. She had someone beta read it (a friend who published her own book) and I was given a few things to work on with. For instance I had too many characters, only two of my cast were interesting (the main character and his confidante luckily), and it started getting boring in the middle. I tried to fix those issues, but randomly decided I’d just rewrite the whole thing. Tried three times and it didn’t fully work so I just left the finished draft and worked on other stuff. Came back a couple months ago and finally figured out how to tackle the draft I almost scrapped. It still needs work in numerous areas, but I feel like I’m making progress now!
Reading the posthumous Pirate Latitudes, you can tell. The first half is a fairly polished fun read. Then you get to get to the point where you realize you're reading an unfinished first draft. The difference in quality is remarkable. Hemingway said something along the lines, "The only writing is rewriting." I still wish he had a chance to finish it.
Keep 📖 all of your work. I went back to a film 📽️ I made in highschool, and it was such an amazing experience. Some aspects that I was critical of at the time that I made it, didn't seem like a big deal. It was a moment in time.
Wow, I had already done this and didn't realize it until now. The book I'm writing now for my debut novel, I'm in love with it. I love the characters and I love the story I'm telling. 40k out of 80k for my first draft, and no plans of slowing down.
The story I was trying to write before, not so much. I loved the idea of it when it first popped into my brain, and I think Genevieve and Nathan will make a reappearance some day, but not in that plot. I've outgrown it and I just don't see anything coming of it. I'd rather finish my debut novel, learn and grow from that, and then revisit!
Sometime, abandoning a novel, and letting it rest while you learn and grow is a good thing. I have one, working title is "Shadows of Verrhaven" which is a high fantasy mystery/thriller that would be right at home in Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms. It was first being written as a novelized version of a D&D game... But it wasn't actually LitRPG (as some people would conclude.) It was third person present tense, then switched to past tense. Lots of head-hopping, and the structure felt really wonky and doughy. And it didn't seem to want to fit into any easy "box." -- BUT! After years of reading, growing, fiddling with other stuff... And then most recently reading "Techniques of the Selling Writer" By Dwight V. Swain, that book made everything click. I know exactly how to fix it. It was already structured pretty decently, but there will need to be some fat cut, and a few things added... and it should *sing.* - Since I read Techniques, I've been plugging along with my revision plan, and can't wait to get busy on it.
I'm thinking of dropping my story. It's evolved into a series of books and I feel like one of my main ideas was really good and I've been trying to salvage the entire series just for that one idea and a handful of moments surrounding it. But the whole point of the idea is that it's in the background, so it's basically like I'm writing an entirely new series every time I overhaul it and I'm having trouble making the ending work. I'm thinking about maybe keeping just a couple of the scenes and trying to make them into their own book.
Sounds stupid, but I have written some novels I didn't want to publish after finishing, due to different problems coming up (mostly market and falling out of love). What I did was putting those novels up on Wattpad to get them out of my head. Because keeping them on my drive would make me bound to them. But publishing on Wattpad keeps it open for revisions, IF I want to come back to it. It's a sandbox to play in, especially for more young audience oriented stuff. But I also abandoned ideas and half-written projects as well. Even complete novels, out of different reasons. I may come around to them again, but realistically I won't 😂
That sounds like a good alternative -- with strong psychological benefits, as well. The novel stops taking up attention space in your head.
I spent 5 months trying to learn and get the hang of writing and loving the process, by attempting to write my first novel. The longest thing I wrote before, was a 5000 word short story. This novel attempt reached 20,000+ words but I didn't know how to get things going in the vague plot. After learning so much in the craft during the process, I realized how flawed it was. I'd already pitched it to several producers and they loved my presentation and the concept and asked for when they could get signed copies. But, I wasn't ready to write that book yet. All writing is practice after all, so it wasn't a waste.
Now, I've spent the past 7 months to work on something new I've completely structured and plotted for a joyful execution -- it's been a complete banger to write. I love the craft now, and figured how to get the most out of myself when it comes to writing. It's fully planned out for self-publishing as a debut novel, since that's the option that's worked for my friends where I live and it fits my circumstances better. It's been a wonderful ride and I'm 55000 words in and hoping to finish the last few chapters this month and start revising while editing to publish by early December, all while working on the cover art and insert illustrations myself and getting beta readers beforehand.
Hopefully a little while after I finish this one, I can rework my abandoned novel. I never really fell out of love with it; I just realized I wasn't capable of doing that story justice, with the limited writing experience I had at the time. Nice video, liked and subscribed.
My decades-long Work In Progress - which I completed but was not happy with - has undergone a couple of radical revisions and was midway through yet another when I stopped working on it a few years ago... I haven't listed it as "abandoned", yet, but I'm not holding any hope that it'll get finished...
Any book can be fixed and saved.
can you do a whole video about pacing? amazing work btw
I threw out a novel at chapter 4, and I am so glad I did, because it was just holding me up from starting my current novel series, which is 100x better than that precious project.
First and foremost, throwing away ideas, unfinished books, paintings, etc., simply doesn’t happen for me. I always tell myself, “Never call it a loss if, along the way, you’ve learned something.”
The knowledge and experience we gain while navigating the process of abandoning an entire project are not losses. They are integral to our development. Around the world, people face similar challenges daily-ending relationships, breaking marriages. In essence, if we need to leave a project behind, we should view this painful process as a stepping stone in our personal growth.
I had to abandon my first novel. I was on the second draft or maybe the first (if you think of my first draft as a first draft or photodraft) but then I realized a fundamental flaw. My characters were one dimensional. So, I abandoned that novel, took its very core concept and changed everything else. My new one's coming along much better now, because the characters are actually complex and feel noteworthy emotions such as self loathe, and guilt. I made the right decision.
Think of it like every other craft. A carpenter probably isn’t going to sell the first chair he makes. Because it’s his first, it’s a little rough… but he uses what he learned, then does it better the next time.
I did that with my first one. Too bad to fix. But not 'thrown away' as in deleting, it's there, buried to always remind me where I started. Good practice though
I guess one should first finish the book and put it aside then. Finish it, no matter how. This is something one has to learn too.
I wrote something around 30,000 words of a novel 3 years ago, and it was absolute shit. Now I'm working on a novel that has many of the same themes I was trying to convey in a story that actually makes sense, with characters that are fleshed out and whole. So glad I didn't waste more time on that POS! I'm basically writing now what I was trying to write then, and it's so much better! But I also won't hate myself if something about this story also doesn't work.
Bruh, how can you note come up with an ending to the Garden of Eden!? It is obvious neither spouse gets the girl at the end due to their selfishness. The girl probably dies, but she could also just find her true love and move away. There done! Masterpiece!
"THROW AWAY" translates better as "PUT IN RECYCLING BIN" because a lot of your examples weren't completely trashed, but reworked into something different.
@2:00 The casual vacancy should have been tossed
The idea there was a worse novel is insane to me
I threw mine away bcs I was too broke to handle the editing and book covers and advertisement, best decision. Now I know I want something much better for that novel.
Sometimes if ya can't think of a ending you could just leave it at a to be continued type of ending even if you never plan to finish it, as sometimes it's better to just spread your book idea out to many books. And sometimes despite how sucky it feels it's just better to let the antagonist win if you can't think of a ending or how to protagonist are going to get around them, as the last thing you want is for it to feel like a Deus Ex Machina since no one likes plot mandated wins they want it to feel earned
I’ve been a writer since I was a teen. And I have shelved thousands of ideas. I think I may have my golden idea now, I’m half way through writing it now but I don’t know how it should end, should I ditch this one too?
Did this with my novella.❤
Stephen King threw his first novel in the trash, his wife dug it out and told him to keep trying, then he went on to become one of the best and most prolific authors in all of human history.
Don’t throw your books away, leave them and come back to them a few months or a few years later.
No, I didn’t find the video depressing. It was the other way around: it was actually helpful. Sometimes we all have to very hard decisions in life so that we can progress
I finished my first 42k word story in July. I doubt I'll ever do anything with it. It means something to me, but is too niche for anyone else to find interest in. I'm about 40k into my second story and it's about halfway, but I just don't know where to take it from there. Probably will end up not finishing it, or if I do, also letting it sit on my HDD.
Niche stuff is great, man. Those are cult classics. There's always an audience of people out there interested in tiny topics that nobody else cares about.
You never know. Niche to you doesn't mean you're an island. It's like those weird words that describe something that you can't believe happens enough to have a name.
I guess test readers will tell you.
In general, it takes (and builds) character to admit your mistakes, I guess.
How depressing. (Deleting files from computer)
I'm not a writer anyway. I'm just an engineer by training.
Only a couple of years' work down the drain. What a waste of time.
Ironically, this is what my MC's flaw, is (was), thinking he was never good enough and that he'll never accomplish anything of worth.
So much for THAT dream...
Who was I kidding? Only myself, of course.
Moving on... Goodbye.
Dmitri Shostakowitsh said that you have to write a basket full of manuscripts before something good comes along. But that is normal. If you are a carpenter your first table will not be your best. And so it goes for every profession.
Fortunately i'm just writing for fun, to get adventures other authors don't write stories about. At present a german author who has worked on a book for ten years is cursing a jury that gave a price to another author. 😢
that "own voice" standard is absolutely toxic. i she publishes that native american story somehow
Yeah, and also fine with double standards. I don't give one shit the race of the author. Is it a good book? Great! Intersectionality is toxic toxic toxic.
110% agree with you.
I did not even know such a concept exists. I don't quite understand it. So for example high fantasy writers can't write about underground dwarf city unless he or she suffers from dwarfism and lives in a cave? What a weird train of thought they have had when coming up with this standard.
This is going to be a huge problem if you want to write a blind character...
@@krzysztofiwan4901 no? The problem arises from writing about cultures that you aren't from and don't understand. This can become an issue when the author accidentally misrepresents the culture they're writing about. This idea is largely a response to white people writing about other cultures and horribly misrepresenting them, making them appear as dumb, violent, evil, cannibalistic and wholly uncivilized.
I don’t really think it’s possible to throw writing away. Just because you shelf a novel doesn’t mean it’s been trashed. You don’t share most of your work. That’s just fact. I’ve written numerous books and some I’ll never publish, some I might return to, but the ones I never touch again I still learned from and still am influenced by the time I spent with them. Like my first book I spent 6 years on and thought of a better story idea with a start middle and end, and wrote the first draft in a month and a year and a bit later wrote another and less than a year later, another. I think if you don’t know the end of the story you are writing, you should keep writing, but abandon it if you think of a better project.
What is the best software to organize your notes, end notes, formatting, etc?
I already made one video request but I have another that I haven't found a comprehensive answer for- the boring parts of novels. I always wonder why they include so much stuff that isn't necessary. I understand its for pacing in someways and world building in some ways, but lots of times to me it seems not necessary, like the writer just wanted to include it. Thank you.
Edit: it may be a pacing issue that I'm really misreading. I just want to know how and when to do the slow parts.
You might want to clarify that request. There are so many mistakes that can make a section boring. And then things that are not necessary can be interesting, so that is not the same thing. The second question is probably easier, namely the rule is that everything should advance the storyline in some fashion, but teachers tell students instead that they have to create the mood, to put the reader there. And, of course, there is plain infodumping, because deleting information you spent time creating is hard to do. I think of it as a challenge, namely how can I allude to this information without saying it directly. Say a person misses home. To read, 'She was really, really missing her mother and her cooking, esp. her cooking,' is boring. Better to show it obliquely, like the girl does something strange (like touch a bracelet or ring) when home is mentioned casually in a conversation. Carol Burnett always tugged her earlobe to tell her mother that she loved her and was thinking of her.
Frodo's journey through Mordor was very hard for me to read, but now I understand that it was needed to show both how hard the task was and to show why Frodo and not Sam should have carried the ring.
This all depends on how iconic your first idea for a book is. If you’re sitting on the next Percy Jackson or hunger games, don’t get all doubtful about it. However, if you’re writing some crazy strange sci-fi, or a boring urban mystery or basic romance that’s been written 100,000 times before, then yeah, maybe your book is lackluster. I don’t get why people try to write unoriginal things as their magnum opus
To the people wondering why publishers turned down the non-indigenous person writing about the experience of being indigenous:
Maybe if media didn't have a long history of preferring white narratives about indigenous people to actual indigenous people telling their own stories. But that's not the world we live in.
Even if publishers didn't care, it would still be a ridiculous business decision to add onto the heap. Indigenous authors haven't even been able to court mainstream audiences until recently. Picture the portraits of the authors you were assigned to read in high school -- are any indigenous?
Let's take an example: For some reason, you want to write a book about growing up and living in Chad. You can research all you want, you could even visit, but you're not going to understand what it's like to live your whole life there, because you haven't. It's just something you can't know, and that's okay. Other people in the world can't know what it's like to have been in your shoes, and that's okay. We don't have to act arrogant and assume we know everything about everyone.
However, if you want to write your sci fi about a scientist from Chad who discovers aliens, go ahead! Grab yourself some beta readers from Chad to add that extra level of authenticity, and you're golden.
Don't you think it's a bit odd to want to write what it's like to live and grow in a culture *you* didn't live and grow in? Why would a reader want to read about what a white lady in LA thinks growing up in the Bronx as a Black teenager is like? Why not pick up the book by the person who lived it?
As a reader, I want to hear *your* story. Even if your characters are riding dragons or building cyborgs, or just sitting down to tea, I want to read *your* take on that. Do your research, of course, but I want to hear about your unique experiences, and the way your wonderful characters see the world!
Heh heh, I've ditched more stories than I've ever self-published. Maybe I'm not meant to be a writer...
It's fun as hell when I'm on a role and the creativity's flowing fast, but it doesn't last long for me. Then it dries up and I hit the wall of that dreaded Writer's Block, and rarely find a way through...
I had my book with a beta reader. But I knew I could never be happy. I edited, edited, and edited. But when I got it back from my beta reader, I knew, he knew. It wasn´t good. Half of it worked, the other half didn´t. Great test run for my first script. I learned a ton, and now working on something else in my native language instead.
Edit: I loved the main characters from the original script, but hated the world. It represented my own fractured mind at the time, and as I healed, it felt more and more "wrong." I´m reusing the characters, but in a world, and a way that I love.
You don’t need to delete it. Just don’t publish it or carry on working on it yet.
Thanks, but I won't throw away book I am writing. It is going great and if I will make some mistakes I will repair it in editing. No problem.
Another reason: bad luck. Someone just published a similar story or made a film similar to the story... so the originality is lost
Good point.
I have a better idea. Why even throw away a book? just stop writing it !
I find burying my unwanted novels in the garden is much more effective. I do this at night so the neighbors think that I'm hunting slugs and not insane.
Yeah, I guess I didn't physical delete the file. Abandonment would be technically accurate, but emotionally, it feels like I'm throwing it away.
Damn it, Ernest, in this day and age the two ladies could have just ran off together in a lipstick-red convertible.
If you like to read about unfinished novels by great authors, you may like Revisionaries by Kristopher Jansma!
the only one that is concerning to my current work is the Native American aspect i do have one pov that is part Navajo I'm am not but i had cousin that was Native American but sadly he died many years ago maybe i should put that in the dedication any thoughts on this
I think a dedication would be nice, absolutely. And I think that multiple POVs helps defray a little bit of the Own Voices issue.
@@Bookfox thank you
I personally don't think it's a good idea to destroy the novel you feel isn't working, but definitely move on to another one if you feel you're spinning your wheels. Maybe return to the troubled one later... a long time later... with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Maybe you'll see how to fix it, or maybe it is unworkable from concept onward and will exist as an interesting experiment.
This may sound weird, but this was...motivating? I'm at 50% of my manuscript and I sort of choked, looking at the outline and thinking "and this is just the first draft..." but even if it never gets re-writes I'm going to finish it, dangnabbit!
Hey, I'm happy for you! I think one of the points of the video is that there are plenty of times when you SHOULDN'T throw away your novel, so that sounds good for me that you figured out how to move forward.
Art is subjective.
There are "subpar" works online with millions of fans.
Throwing away your book is a generational thing, i believe. If those writers had the Internet and independent platforms, without the traditional gatekeepers, i bet wayy less of those get shelved.
The artists of the past were wayyyy more brutal with themselves. There are artists who would paint over their old work, writers who would burn their old work. Its literally impossible to say how much they abandoned because they hated their learning process works so they would destroy them entirely.
OwnVoices is BS. It's the job an author to live in the skin of many different kinds of characters, from all nationalities, all races, all genders, all experiences. No one owns an identity.
As long as it's well-researched, it's fine.
💯
It's just a strategy people abuse to thin out their competition
Better to sit on your shelf forever than to throw it away
I REALLY pray Patrick Rothfuss will never find this video 😅
Joanne is still stuck, considering the reviews for the Casual Vacancy, lol
I didn't throw away one book and regret it. It is a bit of a blemish on my skills. The other one I didn't throw away because I couldn't (contractual complexities) and is a second blemish. If a story is clearly not working for you and you have no idea how to fix it, throw the book away, get busy with something new. It's a waste of time for a project that gives you nothing but frustration. If you feel sorry for the hero, give him a new adventure. Don't cling to a project that isn't worth sticking to.
Ok, I hate reason 7 because it is idiotic. I am a white woman. Does that mean I can't write a book taking place in ancient Egypt talking about the Pharaohs? Does that mean I can't tell a story about a Zulus warrior? But then no one should write history books, and books by white people can't feature people of color, just wait, won't the author then be considered racist? I write and sell gay romances, enjoyed by both men and women (I don't ask and their orientation). I'm not a man and I'm not gay, and my readers know this and yet they love my books and appreciate them for their excellent emotional realism. According to Rule No. 7, I have no right to write these books because I am not gay enough and not male enough. Ah, unless I start identifying myself as such, then I can, yes? ;)
NEVER throw it away. Maybe leave it for awhile.
Other books get in the way, the story ballooned out of control, spinning your wheels for 10 years. George R.R. Martin is sweating bullets over here.
A couple things I wanna say:
It sounds like you're kinda bashing self-publishing. Please don't do that.
Also, the whole "if you publish a bad book, you can't take it back." This is true, but it doesn't have to harm your name. If you're not sure whether the book works, self-publish it under a pen name and see how it does. If people end up loving it, great. Continue writing under that pen name. If not, abandon the pen name. Sure, it will still continue to exist, but it won't harm you because no one will know it's you.
Hmmm, I wasn't trying to bash self publishing. In my other videos, like 9 Huge Lies about Self Publishing I talk about a lot of benefits of self publishing. ruclips.net/video/is4bTpk3bPw/видео.html
Pen name is a good idea.
What if thousands of people would of loved that book? Example: Stephen King threw away his book Carrie but his wife took it out the trash and he published it. The rest is history. Better to try and fail then never try at all.
Have you actually read "war and peace"? It's a pile of boring pretentious crap
👍👍
I think there is a lot of wisdom in the message of what you're saying, but it is lost in how you're deliviring it, and which examples you're sharing and the complete lack of detail in regards to those examples. "Well famous author did it" is not enough and a huge cop out. "Oh Stephen King did it once, and he he still published some of it" is really not a compelling argument. "Ernest Hemmingway worked on something for years until he abandoned it." is not compelling either? Giving vague qualifiers like "he may have sensed it would do poorly." is also a cop out. What was bad? Why was it bad? What made it deserving to be trashed (not recycled, given your use of words)? Why did they think the idea was good to begin with and then 'throw it awa?' I put ideas on a backburner or recycle them, and rarely "throw them away" because even if the first idea I had with that storyline didn't work out, it could still work in a different story. Like a rom-com with an android who thinks it is human finding love with a real human, only to realize that for some reason it is more attracted to zeroes and ones, but only in a particular pattern and that's when it discovers it's an android and has an affair with the answering machine since it is the only one who listens. It didn't work in the dystopian futuristic world I was setting my story in, but it does work on its own right and in something less futuristic where answering machines aren't obsolete.
I was 16 when I published a book I published Wattpad, I would write each part and upload it right after. You could see my writing improve as you read the story. I got pretty popular, but reading it back now years later, I understand why people liked it, it was hilarious. It read like a parody once I started to get decent at the act of writing itself. But oh my god it was so tacky and unrealistic.
The timing couldn't be worst.