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Book separation anxiety - I can't be the only one, right?
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Erin
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Feb 16, 2017 03:37AM
So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I stared at the document for awhile as so many emotions washed over me. But then I started to feel a little sad, believe it or not. I've spent so much time with these characters and I've let them tell me their stories. Even though I know I can (and eventually will) write a sequel I have other stories to complete in the series and need to move on. Is it weird to feel this way? I seriously have separation anxiety, y'all. I didn't see that coming lol.
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Absolutely not! I have that feeling all the time. Sometimes, they convince me to stay with them and ignore my other projects. hahahaSeriously, right now I keep going back and forth between three separate stories (although two are edits only), but I can't decide what one to focus on. And they're are definitely characters that I truly love that I HAVE to devote my attention to them!
Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I stared at the document for awhile as so many emotions washed over m..."No it's not weird at all. I haven't felt that way yet in all my 26 years of being an author, but it'll probably happen. I guess it's like watching your baby go off on their first day of school or leave home for college. But the good thing is that they're not gone forever. You can see them anytime you want afterward and be proud they're moving forward. Try to look at it that way. Love it from afar and realize you done a good job and these are the benefits and results of that.
Angel wrote: "Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I stared at the document for awhile as so ma..."Beautiful response - I'm starting to feel a smidge better. #smidgeisaword
Perfectly normal.You have spent many hours enjoying their company. And now they must leave so they can find new friends.
But they will always remain true to you, and never truly leave your side oryour heart.
♡
Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "Angel wrote: "Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I stared at the document for a..."You'll realize that after releasing the next book and the next that it does get easier and it's a great relief and weight lifted. That's how I feel with each book I release and publish, especially after everything is final to perfection, after gruelingly working on it for so, so, so long and making sure everything is done finally, finally done. Yes I said that twice on purpose because it takes longer than we think to get it to the final result.
Angel wrote: "Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "Angel wrote: "Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I sta..."You're right. I am working on the treatment for my second novella and I feel like I'm cheating LOL
Amanda wrote: "Absolutely not! I have that feeling all the time. Sometimes, they convince me to stay with them and ignore my other projects. hahahaSeriously, right now I keep going back and forth between three ..."
Agree! There are six books in my collection and the stories are all rattling around in my head lol.
TL Clark (author of love) wrote: "Perfectly normal.You have spent many hours enjoying their company. And now they must leave so they can find new friends.
But they will always remain true to you, and never truly leave your side o..."
My husband told me that I helped my couple find one another and now they need some alone time! He's right :)
Mod
Smart man ^_~
And congrats, ma'am!! Welcome (soon) to the world of romance-y pubbing!
***mwahhh***
Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "So I finished my first novella this week and after editing and formatting is done will be publishing soon. I was so excited and I stared at the document for awhile as so many emotions washed over m..."I always miss my characters when I move on to the next book, which is one of the reasons I love writing series, because I get to spend more time with the characters and watch them grow and develop over time
Releasing your book(s) is like sending your child out into the world as an adult. The first one is the hardest. It is much easier with the second one and by the time you hit the forth, you are a pro at it and enjoy helping them to become independent.My first book was so hard to let go of and publish. I know it's not great, but the people who have read it, liked it. In fact, one of my high school classmates recommended it on our class site.
I get so involved with the characters, I have to stop writing when the actual tale is finished instead of continuing with their life. Also, the instinct to keep improving the book is there as I learn more and become better at writing. You just have to let it go and move forward to the next book or you will end up never publishing.
I know it won't take as long to get the next one published as I know what to expect. This book is better and more together than the first one. The third one will be better yet.
Just turn them loose and move forward while waving bye to them as they march off into the world to provide entertainment, enjoyment and escape for those who read them. Like kids, some people will like them, others will hate them. Like kids, you love them and keep helping them as much as possible.
By the time I'm done, I don't want to look at them ever again! But I'm also a s l o w writer. I wonder if that makes a difference.
Being slow is good. I find that I love my characters and don't want to let them go...lol. It is my characters which make me want to write the book in the first place. Some of mine have been hanging about for over two years waiting to get out into the world but I can't seem to turn them loose just yet. Please, don't hate your characters. If you don't love them, how can you expect others to care about them even after spending a year or more with them driving you nuts! You do want to see them again as you have to market them and if you hate them, you can't do a good job of marketing.
It's not just you! I felt exactly the same when I finished my first book. It caught me by surprise too. I'd expected a lot of emotions, but that wasn't one of them. The best remedy I found was immediately starting work on the sequel!
BA, I'm angling for a print contract. Those take a while, so by the time I have to do any marketing, I'll be ready to go again. :) And I don't hate them. I just need a vacation. A really long one. With fruity drink that have little umbrellas and lots and lots of rum.
Ok, so this is embarrassing. My novel was 1st person POV from the heroine's perspective. Not long ago, I wrote the first scene from Mike, the hero's, perspective just because I was missing my characters, no intent to publish. It was fun and I feel like I can go back and write each scene that way when I miss them.
I totally get it, Erin! My characters, Leila and Emre, have pretty much owned me for a solid 4 and a half years now. And with 3 more books of the saga still to be written and published, I don't even attempt to think of other characters outside of the full cast. I'm not sure if that's because the creative vibe is still flowing in one direction, or they truly do own me and it would be like breaking a wedding vow, LOL, to entertain another couple. We'll see. But I've yet to be tempted.
I guess you can think of it like that feeling you have when you say goodbye to your high school buddies in order to venture off to college. New friends and new adventures await and the best of friends never ever go away. You find the time to revisit them. Have fun exploring new territory!
I hate leaving my babies!! I feel like it was just yesterday that they were born. I guess that's why I prolong writing so I can be with then just a little while longer. My sister says I have "writer's who can't let go of their characters" syndrome lol.
Mod
*turns thread into support group*
*grins*
I gotchu ^_~
Annie wrote: "*ponders**turns thread into support group*
*grins*
I gotchu ^_~"
lol YAY now I can tell my sister I'm going to "Letting Go of Characters Anonymous".
Mod
LGOCA
Where we love and let go.
(Group tagline lol)
Mary wrote: "Ok, so this is embarrassing. My novel was 1st person POV from the heroine's perspective. Not long ago, I wrote the first scene from Mike, the hero's, perspective just because I was missing my chara..."Mary,
When I finished my first web serial I was in tears. We're all writers here so I can sound silly and perhaps corny but--these were my friends. (Don’t worry, I have real life friends, too. Hehe.) We'd walked through so much together and now, suddenly, it was over?
And that’s when one of my family members gave me similar advice: when I missed them or when my other writing wasn’t consuming my time, I could always sit down and write out another episode in their lives—just to pop in and keep in touch, so to speak.
Amber, Thanks for letting me know someone else does it. I feel less geeky.
Mod
*big squeezy hugsss*
That's really sweet! And some great advice from your fam member too!!
To me, it isn't so much as not writing about them. But how they're received. I'm at the stage now of contacting bloggers to get reviews before it's released. I have the same fear that I did when I took my kids to school the first time. What if they get bullied?
