How to Know When to Quit
/Yes, clickbaity title I admit, but this isn’t so much about quitting really.
Also, this title 👆 refers to knowing when to quit both books you’re writing and books you’re reading, but I’m primarily going to focus on the writing aspect of things.
Because finishing writing a book is hard.
I mean, reading books takes effort and energy too, more so than, say, watching TV. But writing a book is a lot, a lot, a lot of work.
There’s the time, the mental labor, the emotional components. And that’s just the first draft. Then we do it all over again when we edit. And then edit again. And again.
So when a book doesn’t seem to be coming or working or whatever phrase you want to use, what do you do? Well, for one thing…
NEVER, EVER, EVER DELETE IT!
I cannot stress this enough. I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but seriously. A lot of work went into that story. A lot of time and effort. And something could still come of it. Maybe you’ll come back one day and try again, a little more skilled, a little more experienced, and you’ll be able to make it work. Or maybe you’ll cannibalize it into something completely different. Or maybe it’ll remain trunked forever. But whatever the case, if you delete, all that work and potential and other-story fodder is gone. So don’t do that.
Right, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s back up.
So I’ve always been kind of a mood reader, but it was never as strong as it’s been these last few months. Before, if I wanted something fluffy but I couldn’t find anything, it wasn’t a big deal. Nowadays, my patience for stuff I’m not in the right mood for is extremely limited. But my writing life has never been limited by mood… until now, of course.
Long story short, I had to switch from what I was working on a few months back to an extremely silly science fiction story I’ve had in my back pocket for a couple of years now^. Because silly is all I can manage creatively at the moment.
^Let me make something clear. I know I’m extremely fortunate to even be able to write right now. Every single creator I respect and follow is having a hard time being creative right now. I just watched a live chat this morning with Judy Blume, and she’s having trouble being creative right now.
Judy Blume, legend, star, queen, is having trouble writing right now. What? 😳
(c) Screen Gems
So if you’re finding you’re having trouble creating right now, give yourself a break! We’re in the middle of a global pandemic; be gentle with yourselves.
Right, so I had to switch projects. The other one just was not working. Part of the reason for that is just the number of problems that other story had. Complex writery problems. Structure problems. Plot problems. Character problems. Basically, problems enough that I just do not have it in me to fix right now. So off to the side it went. And here’s the first test you can apply to this problem.
Are You Trying to Force It?
I’m a big believer in not forcing creative projects. I think forced quality will show in a forced product. This isn’t to say that the story should flow out of you like waterfalls and rainbows.
I’m just saying, it shouldn’t feel like you’re trying to give yourself hemorrhoids, if you get my drift. If you do find yourself straining and grunting there on your writing throne, then maybe it’s just not the right time for that book, just like my silly sci-fi book is the one I need right now. Or maybe you’re not experienced enough to write it yet.
(c) Masterclass
In his Masterclass on writing, Neil Gaiman talks about how, when he first had the idea for his book Coraline, he didn’t yet have the chops to write it, so he set it aside until he was. That might be the case for you. Some questions you can ask yourself to try and figure out if you’re ready include (but aren’t limited to:
How well do you know the genre? ~ Every genre has certain qualities that make it that genre. Romance, for instance, needs romance. If you don’t know the basic characteristics and structure of the genre you’re writing in^^, then knowing where it’s going or what elements you need will be harder.
^^Don’t @ me about how your books or these books here or all of the above transcend genre and don’t play by the rules. I know. Genres bleed all over each other like ink stored in wicker baskets. This is just a starting point.
Are you trying to be like/measure up to another author? ~ Unless you’re writing a pastiche (and even then because you’re not actually Jane Austen or Douglas Adams or whoever), the only voice you need to worry about writing in is your own. The only person you should worry about measuring up against is yourself.
Are you “writing to market”? ~ Controversial opinion here, but I really don’t believe in writing to market. What’s hot now might not be hot in six months—and yes. You need at least that long to write, edit, edit again, and then again, hire an editor/cover designer/etc. if you’re going indie or query if you’re going traditional. I believe in writing the book you want to write. I think the book you want to write, the one you feel strongly about, will end up far more sincere and less manufactured than one that was written to slot nicely into a certain market.
Another thing I dislike about writing to market—and this might be difficult to hear—not every book written needs to be published. “Good enough” isn’t good enough. That book that you can’t seem to make work, it might just be a book you learned from in the process of writing it. It’s enough that you wrote a book at all; there’s merit in that all by itself. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep going with a book that’s giving you trouble, I’m just saying., while you’re trying to make it the best book it can be, be open to simply what you can learn along the way. Maybe what this book that isn’t working will teach you things that will make the next one work.
Are you on the first draft or editing? ~ I’ve said it before (quoting people far smarter than I) and I’ll say it again: a first draft just needs to exist. They’re called the vomit draft because they’re all terrible. Anne Lamott goes even further to say they’re all sh*tty. So if you’re on the first draft, but keep writing, even if you feel like it’s all stupid. Now, if you’re editing, that’s another matter. Have you had others critique it? What do they say? Look for consistencies between different readers. If you haven’t maybe that would help. If you have and it’s still not working, then it might be time to give that book some space, which leads me to…
Hard Mode vs. Easy Mode
Some books will be easier to write than others. If you try to tackle all the issues of the world in one go, then you’re on a super hard mode. I once heard an interview with author Jadzia Axelrod (linked here for your convenience) where she talks about how an agent once told her that she didn’t have to put all her ideas into one book. If you want to write a straightforward, fluffy romantic comedy set on a ranch in Albuquerque, that’s okay. Maybe on the next edit, you’ll want to add more complexity, maybe you don’t. That’s fine.
I want to take this moment to recommend, as I have many times before the podcast Writing Excuses. On multiple episodes, they talk about writing on hard mode vs. easy. Maybe just pick one or two things to focus on handling really well—things you have experience with will be even easier. You can always build on the skeleton later.
Not sure if you’re working on hard mode or easy mode? Try breaking the book down into its core components.
Plot ~ First, what’s the main linear storyline? Take away all the subplots and side quests and what is the goal (plot of the book).
Main character goal ~ Next, what does you main character want? This can be related to but shouldn’t be the same thing as the plot. So for instance, your plot is that your MC is trying to get to the statewide Battle of the Bands competition. But what they want is for those record label reps to see him perform because they’re sure to sign him and his band.
Main character arc ~ But what does your MC need? This is the thing that makes your character change and grow by the end of the book^^^. Maybe in this case, the MC needs to realize that his band, his friends, are more important than what the record label reps have to offer. Spoiler alert, the record label reps only want him, not his band, and they want to change the MC into something he’s not just so they can make money.
^^^I realize there are other types of character arcs, but this one is the most common. And again, we’re on easy mode here.
That’s the most basic of basic formulas. Start with that and build up.
Give It Some Space
Okay, so let’s say you’ve done all that—you’ve finished the first draft. You’ve done some editing and had some trusted fellow writers look at it and give feedback. You’ve tried scaling back the difficulty level, but somehow it still isn’t right. Unfortunately, this is where you might have to make a decision. It might be time to set it aside. Like I said earlier, maybe you can come back to it in a couple of months or years with more experience under your belt and tackle it again. Maybe you’ll end up cannibalizing its pieces for a different project—this is what happened with my book Raven’s Cry. I realized I didn’t have the chops for historical fiction, so I set it aside until I found its true home in the Broken Gears universe. Or maybe it ends up being trunked forever. At least you learned something from the experience.
See, I told y’all this wasn’t really about quitting 😉. Again, friends, be gentle with yourselves in these difficult times. Don’t do something if it’s not good for your mental and/or emotional health right now.
Thanks for reading!
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