When to Fold....(Letting Go of a Novel)

Sometimes, no matter how good your intentions are, you have to just let a project go. Last year I wrote over 50k in a novel that showed promise. It made me feel as if this could be the project I finally finished. However, I put the novel on hold last November to work on a 'bright shiny new idea' during NaNoWriMo. When I returned to my novel all I could see was the plot holes, characters who were all over the place and all the mistakes I'd made. I set the document down again, this time determined not to return to it.

My novel didn't have that lustre it had pre-Nano, and if I'm honest, this particular project never had the same pull as my Nano novel. It was a hard lesson to learn, but for me this first novel was an exercise in getting a routine started. This novel had been all about possibilities. Was it possible for me to meet a goal each week (yes)? Was it possible for me to actually sustain a plot for more than 100 pages (yes)? Was it possible for me to create engaging characters with their own stories and agendas (yes)?

If all of these possibilities existed you are probably wondering why I let my story go-- and the answer is that it needed a major structural overhaul. I would have had to edit the early draft I'd created, look carefully at the book (it was trying to be both chick lit and literary fiction-- not a line that is easily straddled) and replot major sections. I was too close to the story, too close to what I'd written (and what I wished I'd written) to actually make the changes I'd need to salvage my first attempt.

In order to move forward, I had to let my beautiful story go. The decision felt a lot like giving up, but the more I thought about it the more I knew it was the right thing to do (for me). If I didn't let that story go for a while it would be a constant battle of rewrites, doubts and ultimately four of five drafts that were each different from my original concept.

Now, almost a year since I set the novel aside I am beginning to clearly see how to shape and edit my ideas. I am finally feeling that passion for the story and characters that kept me writing about them. I'm not quite ready yet to return to that particular novel, but I know that when I do it will be with a solid map (outline) and compass. Because, I still love this story-- and it would be shame to never do justice to a wonderful cast of characters who entertained me for months.