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have you ever discarded a completed MS?
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I've got at least three or four mostly finished works that have been abandoned, including one that I come back to nearly every year. I have yet to 'give up' on any of them. There's always a chance they could see the light of day in the future.
A MS? No. If I start writing one I usually stay firm with intent to finish it. I feel like if I'm starting on such a big task that I have to see it through to the end. I do tend to push them aside and procrastinate waiting forever to get back to working on it.Short stories on the other hand, forget it lol. I sometimes start them and then half way through I wonder where I'm going with it and just can it..save everyone the trouble.
I have a finished work I wrote many years ago that isn't my usual genre, and I've never published it. It's a short story about a lower middle-class family, sort of a slice of life that would probably fall into the Literature categoy. In it, a pet is dying, a boy is grieving, and the father is having a mid-life crisis. He goes and spends the money his wife was saving for a new stove on an old car that he plans to fix up in the hope of regaining his youthful enthusiasm for life. In the process he nearly loses both his life and his marriage.
An editor told me that dying-pet stories are trite and overdone, and she was probably right. As for the rest, I doubt that there's a market. I'm told it's well written, but on the other hand I'd hate to put something out there that I'm not at least reasonably sure of.
I also had a Sci-Fi story that I sold to Galaxy magazine just before it went out of business, so I was never paid for it. Now I can't find the story, and I'm sure I thought at the time that it wasn't all that good anyway. I threw it away. Would love to have it back now just to see what it was about.
An editor told me that dying-pet stories are trite and overdone, and she was probably right. As for the rest, I doubt that there's a market. I'm told it's well written, but on the other hand I'd hate to put something out there that I'm not at least reasonably sure of.
I also had a Sci-Fi story that I sold to Galaxy magazine just before it went out of business, so I was never paid for it. Now I can't find the story, and I'm sure I thought at the time that it wasn't all that good anyway. I threw it away. Would love to have it back now just to see what it was about.
Yes I have. I make sure that every day I work on a manuscript, I rename the new one with the date, drop the old one in a folder. That way, I can never lose more than just one day's work.
Isn't this what is referred to as a "trunk novel?" Something you've worked on, even finished, but don't feel happy enough with yet to put out there or show to anyone? Like Christina said, just because you're not ready to publish it now doesn't mean you won't get hit by an idea for it that will transform it for you at some point in the future. I don't think I'd put out anything I was unsure of. You have to be ready to own your work 100% by the time strangers are reading it.
The first novel I published had been a "trunk novel" for 20 years. When I discovered self publishing, I dug it out and as I typed it into the computer a lot of new and wonderful ideas started to surface to tie it all together. After that I couldn't not publish it. So hang onto everything you write. New possibilities could be right around the corner--or 20 years down the road.
I once read an article about Stephen King and the ten books his readers may never get to read. Some were discarded manuscripts(I'm sure we all know he almost did this with Carrie), some were lost and some he just completely forgot about and never thought about publishing after a while.I think it goes without saying that if Mr. King has many discarded manuscripts..he needs to dust those things off! lol.
My current novel that's out now is about to have a novella based on the events preceding. It's because I didn't throw away the original manuscript that is an extremely complete story, my novel being excerpts of that manuscript. Now this novella came to life from the remainder of the manuscript. I have so many stories and shorts that I've written and refuse to throw away because you never know when you might be able to use it. I am releasing a novella in a couple of weeks. I also did it to help boost sales of the novel, kind of let people try out the story first through the novella in the hopes that they'll want to read more and get the novel which continues where the novella leaves off.
Yeah. My first completed MS (from back in 1995-1998). I tried pushing it to trad publishers but never made any headway...Well, I still have it actually (and the start of another book with some of the same characters).Probably a good thing. It's in my normal genre, but it's not in my normal "voice." I absolutely love the story and ideas, but I dislike the way I wrote it. I think it's too immature, too forced, too overtly emotional.
I'd like to completely re-write it...and have even tried...but it's a big story and I'm not sure I could transform it enough to please myself.
My fear would be that people might like it and then it would become famous...and I'd never write anything in that style ever again and just fizzle out as an author! ;P
NEVER get rid of your trunks. Throw it in a drawer for a decade or so. It might do better IN DA FUTURE!Get more experience. Live life and get some gray hairs. Look back on it and cringe and update it to where it finally "sounds right". Only you know in your guts that it does. Ignore the haters and naysayers.
My trunks are 20 years old and despite its creaky age now that I have finally dusted them off, are doing surprisingly okay. (I have one superfan for that series wtf. but hey, a fan's a fan...)
No, I haven't. It took me over 20 years (and a lot of help) to get my first novel out there. It just wasn't ready all that time, and I didn't know how to make it ready. But with the aforementioned help, it all fell into place, and we published it. But I never discarded it or gave up on the idea (although if you'd asked me 10-15 years ago, I think would've answered differently). And I have to say, I think waiting is one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
I've never completely abandoned a manuscript, just put them aside for indefinite periods of time. The project I'm currently editing, "Brianna and the Three," was completed back in 1999-2000. It wasn't until earlier this year that I decided it languished long enough and got back to working on it. (Boy-howdy did it need a lot of work. One or two more edits, though, and it'll be good to go.)
This question inspired my blog. Thanks for the inspiration, Sam.http://iffixysantaph.com/writing-advice/
Iffix- glad I was able to help! I just took a look at your post and I like it. I like that you never quit writing even when you got tired of musicals and switched to sci-fi.
Six - I haven't discarded them; just moved them to a flash drive so they don't take up space and I know they're safe if I decide to pick them up again - or if the muse returns for that particular project. At this time I'm rewriting a story that was published on the first draft as a novella by my previous publisher. I was so angry at the time I published it under a pseudonym.
The second novel I wrote was one that will never see the light of publication, not even with a substantial rewrite. So, yes. I have.
My first fiction novel back in 1999. I wisely got professional critique which revealed that it was way too complex for a debut novel. In hindsight I agree and may revisit it but likely as a series.
I tried to discard a nearly complete novel I wrote when I was at school, but luckily there was a backup copy on my mum's computer. I found it earlier this year and it wasn't nearly as terrible as I remembered, so after some heavy editing I published it as my first novel. Don't throw anything away! You never know when you'll want it again, and maybe someday you'll be ready to tackle the project of editing it and making it more 'you'. Equally, though, I understand not wanting to publish something that isn't your style. Just keep the manuscript around. You'll work it out!
Clare wrote: "I tried to discard a nearly complete novel I wrote when I was at school, but luckily there was a backup copy on my mum's computer. I found it earlier this year and it wasn't nearly as terrible as I remembered, so after some heavy editing I published it as my first novel...."I did that too. I just came across some old drafts (original 2002, first revision 2005, second revision 2007) and cleaned it up in 2009. It started as a short story in 1998, (appears in final form in Chapter 7) and in its final published form (2013/2014) is the complete version.
I didn't expect it to get as complex as it did, but after letting it sit and tinkered until it was right (to me) that I could finally stop thinking about that novel. In regards to the previous versions, I listened to everyone else and published it as they thought it should be, though it never FELT right. Dissatisfied, I eventually took it down and overhauled the story the way I felt it should be told (that made sense to me). Until I got the new cover art in 2014, I finally felt at peace with it and never bothered it again. It was a difficult process. >_>
Don't rush the novel and make sure you and you alone know when your creation meets your unique individual standards. After you pour your heart, soul, experience and time into it, only you know what is truly right and everyone else will see that.
Then you'll have a true winner on your hands. :D
I wish you luck! Work hard and write on!!
I have several trunked novels that I may someday pick back up and work on again. (Or possibly not. I don't know.)One of my WIPs is one of the oldest novels I've ever written and...let's just say it's painful to read. I've grown so much as a writer. So since I believe in and love the story, I'm rewriting the dang thing. ;)
Mod
Not discarded completely, but there are some things that have been on the shelf for a long time.
Erin wrote: "I have several trunked novels that I may someday pick back up and work on again. (Or possibly not. I don't know.)One of my WIPs is one of the oldest novels I've ever written and...let's just say ..."
You can do it!
Dwayne wrote: "Not discarded completely, but there are some things that have been on the shelf for a long time...."Like a good stew, an awesome novel takes time to come together :D
Nope, never actually tossed one; but I've got reams of typewritten pages that are spawning silverfish the size of cocktail shrimp. Does that count?
Nope, if I'm gonna give up on something I do it way before that point.
I'll echo Charles' comment. If I don't like something I'm working on, I get stuck way before I complete it. The others are just waiting for me to find the time to get them cleaned up and ready to go.
Sam wrote: "I wrote a novel, had it edited, got a book cover, and now i'm not entirely sure it came out the way I was hoping and I am really not sure of what to do. There is a market for it but it's not really..."Novels, short stories, magazine articles, and letters of familial obligation – I’ve abandoned one and all at one time or another. However, I have no regrets. I can look back on each one and know that I learned something. Remember the old adage: experience is earned, not purchased. Gaining experience one imperfect page or manuscript at a time is no worse than a mechanic’s busted knuckle or a Wall Street banker’s first SEC investigation.
I also agree with several of the posted comments that mention the reviving of old manuscripts. This does indeed work sometimes, so I would never recommend deleting the files.
You can also publish it under a pen name, a minor modification to book and cover. Then, cash the royalty checks without worrying that it will impact your primary line of books.
Perhaps, more to the point is your comment, “not entirely sure it came out the way I was hoping.” Yet, you also state there’s a market for the book. Have you tried something simple like making a very specific list of exactly what’s wrong with the book? Sometimes, that not only helps you clarify your thoughts and feelings, but allows you to decide if:
A) Your manuscript is the equal of many other very marketable books.
-OR-
B) The perceived flaws are in fact real, and your gut was telling you the awful truth.
Worst case, choose the trunk over the trash.
I hope this wasn’t too longwinded a response.
I have, it was the first novel I wrote with the intention of publishing. I was never really happy with how it turned out, so much that I felt uncomfortable publishing it. I've kept it though and I probably will go back to it one day.
I'd like to amend my previous comment by asking, have you ever published a work when it wasn't ready? I didn't realize how awful "The Legacy" was until I put it away for 11 years and then decided to read it. Fortunately with age and experience come wisdom. That 'growing as a writer' really rings true, my friends. I'm going to salvage what I can and then say at long last farewell to Francesco Romena and Serafina Giustini. I'm sure certain trolls and readers will slam me for reviving this story, but something in my writing gut told me to not give up on this. So it shall be. No prequel. No sequel. Different ending.
I came pretty close to discarding a completed manuscript. I had the third book in my series complete, but found one particular detail that I wanted to change for continuity purposes down the line. Well, it was like yanking a loose thread on a shirt...the whole thing came undone. So, off to the scrap heap it went. I've been able to save portions of it for re-use in the current incarnation, though, so it hasn't been a total loss.Perhaps all you really need is a rewrite, but you'll be able to save portions like I did? Either way, if your gut is telling you not to publish, then hold off. Go through it again and see what isn't working for you. If it's part of a series, it's a lot more of an issue than for a stand-alone work.
Good luck.
I have a stack of almost and completed manuscrips that I haven't published. If it doesn't feel right, I don't move forward. I will at times go back to something and rework it, but yeah, I've just not published what I felt shouldn't go out.I think it's a good idea to be cautious and only put out what you're really sure of.
I wouldn't say I've ever outright discarded a completed work, but I have a few works I've written from beginning to end, and then just decided they either need major overhauling or a complete rewrite. They go on the back burner while I figure out a better way to write them while keeping the characters and the parts I like.Even if I ever wrote something embarrassingly awful and not worth publishing, it could still have some good bits I could reuse in a different story.
I have a story I had to set aside because it was daunting, but I'll come back to it eventually. I have a bunch of started stories from my teen years that probably won't ever come back.
I discarded my first novel, mostly because of certain copyrights that would have made it problematic. Ten plus years later, it evolved past recognition into my first published novel. If it doesn't feel right, I say keep evolving it, molding it into what fits your vision.
I've written and completed stories that I thought were awesome only to set them aside and never touch them again. I have stories I was "eh" about but kept at it and ended up loving them and wanting to publish them. I even have a published story that I thought I wanted nothing to do with ever again that I'm now in the process of rewriting. Writing is so weirdly fickle. I'm always surprised by what I set aside and what I end up publishing. I have one book, though, that I'm rather ticked I stopped working on. I really loved how it turned out. Problem is, it's the first book of a three book series, one I hadn't planned out as much as I should have. I ended up digging a rather complicated pit I haven't been able to climb out of, but I still hope to one day be able to finish the dang thing. It was a lot of fun to write.
A short piece here and there. My one and only screenplay attempt I did eventually scrap, even though it was finished. I didn't think I wanted to get into the mechanics of selling a script, so it didn't get passed a second draft or so, and looking back, I didn't want to pursue the story anymore.Never scrapped a whole novel. I have several that are not finished that I doubt I will ever return to, but they still exist. I also have my "first" completed novel, an adaptation of a play that I doubt I will pursue, but again, I still have it in a box.
Never. And I don't think I ever will.I think it's important to remember that no matter how early in our career we've written an MS, there was something about the idea that was strong enough to make us sit there for hours on end and write it.
Yes, the idea might not have been particularly well thought out or skilfully crafted, but that says more about where we were as writers at the time. The idea, however, always has a chance of becoming relevant again, even if it's re-purposed and used in a different way.
I tossed the first novel I'd tried my hand at in the wastebasket. Now I wish my wife would've retrieved it and sent it to a publisher. à la Stephen King.
Hi Sam,I pulled all seven of my published books from the market as I was not writing them from the inside. I haven't looked back, and I am so glad that I made that decision. You can read about it here http://ajcosmo.com/blog/index.php/cat...
Sam wrote: "I wrote a novel, had it edited, got a book cover, and now i'm not entirely sure it came out the way I was hoping and I am really not sure of what to do. There is a market for it but it's not really..."
Jay wrote: "Sam wrote: "I wrote a novel, had it edited, got a book cover, and now i'm not entirely sure it came out the way I was hoping and I am really not sure of what to do. There is a market for it but it'..."Jay: What I mean is, I wanted this to be one specific thing, but then an editor I hired thought I should fix up the romance angle to make the book's romantic angle more appealing. The closest I can say is think The Fault in Our Stars but with a little less romance and a little more humor/satire. And yes, I'm using a pen name and hoping no one notices for a brief amount of time. My concern is, the book is good but not great and even with a pen name I don't like putting anything out that isn't my best, but I did put a lot of time into it and I don't want to shelve it for fear of censoring myself.
Jody- your answer is the reason WHY I still, despite being uncomfortable with how it came out, want to go forward. I was moved enough by an idea to set aside my main writing project to push this MS out and while the book may not have been what I thought it would be, the ideas in it I think are important and worth thinking about even after one finishes the MS.
Cat- I will check your post out.
The first three novels I ever wrote will never see publication. I consider them to be practice pieces, along with several dozen short stories. Most of them will remain stashed away in a box. I used to toss these things when I was young, but not anymore. I never know when I might reread one and think it, or a portion of it, has enough potential to rewrite.
My question is, have you ever written something, then decided later it wasn't what you wanted, and discarded it? As in, just not published it. Assume you wrote more than half of a MS, so it was something that took weeks or even a few months of time to put together.