I once thought the above saying to be one of those things everybody says, but which isn't actually true. I've been proven wrong. After finishing the first draft of Ice Roses, I set it aside to simmer while plunging into a new work in progress, Ethereal. I figured I would let it sit a year before attempting to rewrite it. I printed it all out, put it in a binder, squealed with my friends over the fact that I'd finished an entire novel!, and then went on with my life: homework, outlining Ethereal and writing it out on Sundays. In general, ignoring poor, unloved Ice Roses.
However, last night a whole slew of new ideas about how to expand Ice Roses' world, tweak the plot, and make the story a fantasy EPIC rather than a retelling struck me. At 11:30 at night. When I'd have to get up at 8:00 the next day. Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep.
Regardless, I'm now rethinking my decision to let Ice Roses be. Ethereal is still trying to figure out who it is, but Ice Roses' characters are only shining more vibrantly inside my head. Gerda, my main character, especially. Parts of her I hated in the first draft are sinking out of sight, revealing who she truly is and has always been meant to be. Her character arc and even her ending is going to change drastically, but it's all in favour of writing the best story--a story full of meaning and layers, love and loss. A story as true to life as possible, yet with the thrill of something beyond.
I am so excited to immerse myself again in Gerda's world, this time with a new sense of who she is and what she must do. It's been a while in coming. Yet I have a great feeling about this story, and with the helpful feedback of friends and family, I'm pretty certain Gerda and I will go a long way together.
So, my question (or questions) to you, readers, is this: Does absence from a manuscript make your heart grow fonder? Do you ever get the urge to go back to one you've set aside or abandoned completely and see if you can tweak it? How do you feel when you gain insights that may mean you have to redo a story from scratch, or change a character's personality? Let me know in the comments!
I didn't know you had actually finished Ice Roses! Congratulations! And it is so wonderful that you are now willing to go back and make it better! As the great authors advise, never be too fond of any one scene that it's holding you back from making your story better. (Or at least, they say something like that.)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great and horrible when you get a story revelation in the middle of the night? That's happened to me a few times, and I'm usually in need of sleep the next day. But getting a great idea is so fun!!!
Now as for the question, I am usually bouncing so many stories around in my head, that I'm not absent from any one for long. Moonscript was one I had set aside for awhile, but now that I'm working on it, some hugely altering changes (like a new main character) have been made. There is a certain story that I have mostly set aside for awhile now, but it will be awesome to take it up once more.
Thank you! I finished at the beginning of January--it took me just under a year to write.:)And indeed, revision is an author's best friend!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes!!! It's so worth it to know you have something great to work with eventually!
Ooohhh, that's so exciting! Stories really do have a life of their own sometimes.