Saturday, April 28, 2012

Y - You Callin' Me Yell'er?


Well, good. ’Cause that’s what I am.

I might be brave when it comes to learning to drive in France or climbing into a thicket of unidentified greenery in order to get back a toy for one of my darling children. But when it comes to what direction I should take with my writing, the truth is I’ve been standing like a deer in the headlights for the last few months.

To self-publish or not to self-publish? (and all the introspection that comes with that)

Keep querying the romantic comedy or let it go?

What should I work on next? I haven’t written anything new in months and I can’t seem to decide what should take priority. Should I write a sequel to the maybe-self-published urban fantasy?  Start the other romantic comedy I have outlined?

I don’t know what to do!  What if just end up wasting my time!?  What if I go to write something new and it flops a few chapters in? 

What if I find I’m incapable of writing another book!!? Gah! 
*cue screaming and hair pulling*

The fear has had me paralyzed for months. But then something happened.  I had a dream (yeah, I know –original, huh?) that gave me an incredible, incredible idea for a book.  An idea that has me thinking I might just be in a little over my head but it’s worth trying.

And it seems I don’t have much of a choice in the matter.  This morning I sat down and wrote a three-page outline – more than I’ve written for either of the above projects.  This thing just kind of came fully formed.

And I wondered, why now?  Why do I finally feel ready to jump into a brand-new project?  I guess it’s because the pressure is off and the fear is gone.  I might show this project to someone once it’s done. 

But then again I might not. 

For right now, it’s mine and only mine.  I can write however/whatever I want and the only person I need to please is myself. It’s amazing the difference that makes.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

*CQG*

18 comments:

Tony Van Helsing said...

I thought you were going to tell us your book idea for a moment.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The fear I'd be unable to produce another book plagued me before I wrote my second one and then really got me before I outlined my third. So if I can do it, so can you!

Tracy Moore said...

I've been at a standstill for months too with my novel. Last night though, it was a miracle and my main character began dancing through my head and I stayed awake into the wee hours writing. Let's hope it wasn't a 24 hour thing lol. Best wishes with your dream idea!

DL Hammons said...

Good for you! In the end...that's the only person you have to satisfy anyway! And NO writing is a waste of time. Everything we write leads us to something else, whether it's marketable or not. :)

Writer Pat Newcombe said...

I know that feeling of standing like a rabbit in the headlights! But you sound like you finally got yourself going - keep the momentum up and I'm sure your great new idea will bear lots of lovely fruit!!

mshatch said...

sometimes those ideas that seem like they're over our head are the ones that turn out the best. I'm thinking of a fellow blogger whose work I'm reading who was worried she was out of her depth. Maybe so, but what I've read so far is fantastic.

Go for it :)

Katie O'Sullivan said...

Good for you and good luck!

Gwen Gardner said...

We all have the same fears, Katie! After researching, I've decided to self-publish - there are a lot of pluses to it. Congrats on your dream - I'm scared that my second book won't come to me. Heck, I have all sorts of fears! Too many to go into here, lol.

Betty Alark said...

I tell ya- I hope when it's all over I can touch base with all the blogs I'm following,lol!

There are so many blogs that are just fantastic; like walking into a candy store and not wanting to leave a piece behind.

Really enjoyed hearing what you have posted today!

Humans have so much in common; we might not all be in the same place at the same time, but we do at some time or other travel a similar path.

I can so relate to some of the things that you're going through; decisions decisions, and of course not really knowing what to do.

Now, I too am a person of query; breath to ask questions and to be questioned; a spice of life!

I self published my firt book;not really sure if I'll travel that route the second time around if I get the inspiration to write another one.

The experience of self publishing was extremely beneficial to me; it was a learning experience and no way can you go wrong learning something new - knowledge is power!

There's a lot of work to be done when you self publish; aside from the puplishing company carrying out the publishing of the book the writer of the manuscript does most of the work via dictating to the publisher your hearts desire for your book; which is great! It was a creative adventure for me!

Having money helps alot - can't really get a book marketed without it; and without getting someone to market the book for you- you probably will find yourself going door to door via the internet, etc.

Any who; I know you will work it all out in your own time and while you're in your own space!

So nice to step into your space for a while! I will be back!

Hope you will step into my space for a while. I have a post today that might be of interest to you!

Hope to see you there!

http://bettyalark.blogspot.com

D.G. Hudson said...

Isn't this called a turning point?

Make the best of it. Must have been a darn good dream.

Tasha Seegmiller said...

Jump into another book - go with the one with the characters who keep talking to you :)

Botanist said...

Aah! That state of indecision. I know it well. I call it wipdithering.

Glad to hear you've been struck by the Muse and have a new project that truly excites you. Hope it goes well.

E said...

Hey, good luck with that new project. I finally have the time to finish the final touches of my novel and instead I started a blog.

It's scary to get to the end and so much easier to start something else!

Anonymous said...

Just go for it! If you can't stand the idea of revisiting an old project, start a new one. The old one will call you sometime later on if it needs attention. Usually the passage of time seems to deepen the old one or give you a new take on it. For example, I've had a screenplay simmering on the back burner half-written since around 1996. Early last year, I started on a fiction that just came to me somehow (?). When I started working on the fiction and letting it rest, here and there, I realized that the screenplay was perfectly suited to fit with the fiction, i.e. the second half of the fiction. And Holy Smoke: it does. Somehow the old project had to gestate in order for the whole story to emerge... I'm still working on that one as well. But now my ebook YA crime fiction has taken over in a major way and this will be the one that gets finished first. These 2 projects are so different from each other, that I have no idea where all of it is coming from! (?) And then on the other burner is my little memoir which one day I hope to finish. And it goes on and on... the way it's supposed to. I can only pray that my writing improves with each page. And dream about getting something out there to present to the world in some small way. Blessings to you and happy writing and reading. Keep in touch and visit sometime. I'll get the teapot hot!
MoonWynd
http://moonwyndstudio.wordpress.com/

Unknown said...

I queried for about a year and felt like I was in limbo, waiting and not writing, just plagued with constant anxiety. I finally decided to stop waiting and self-publish, and even though it's too early to tell if it was the right decision or not, it got me writing again! That's all I want to be doing anyway.

Anonymous said...

Hi Katie! Good for you. Glad to hear the pressure is off and the fear is gone. Enjoy working on that new project.

Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

Imo said...

Can't wait to hear some more about this new project, and it's great that you seem to have triumphed over your fear!

Melody said...

Omgosh, this is ME! You are not alone, Katie. I never thought finishing/querying a good book would lead to such difficulty and deciding what to write next. I'm so glad for your dream and that you've found something to write, though!!! Keep us updated! :)

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