Saturday, November 15, 2008

Writing dilemma

So here I am, halfway through November and getting within sight of halfway to 50,000 words. And then driving home tonight I got an amazing idea for a totally different story. I just spent half an hour writing the details down so I won't forget them. Part of me wants to scrap the story I've been writing and just do this new one. But part of me thinks I should finish what I'm working on first, even though it's feeling more and more boring the more I write.

If I started a different story I would have 15 days to write 50,000 words. That's 3333 words a day (plus an abbreviation to count as the 1/3 remainder). Possible, but a little crazy. But it would be a lot more fun than the story I'm writing now.

But I just read some advice by a seasoned author who says that jumping from project to project will get you a whole box full of started-but-not-finished stories. She recommends finishing a story even if you get a great idea for something else.

Hmmm... I think I'd better be persistent and finish the story I'm working on. At least it will teach me what kind of story I don't want to write ever again!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are writing a book? That is really great. I would like to know more!

Holly said...

I am not seasoned, and certainly no author, but I say, you will write alot faster and enjoy yourself alot more if you write the story that you are passionate about, and not the one that's a bore. . .

Tamary said...

Holly, I think you're right. But I also really want to reach the Nov. 30 goal, even if it seems a little silly. Hence the dilemma. But in the past few days, as I've worked on the original story, I've thought of a couple more ideas for the plot that are making it more enjoyable to write. It's still not going to be a masterpiece, but I think it will be valuable experience to finish it and see how I do with tying it all up. Then I'll start the new one!

Tamary said...

Regina,
See the post on November 2 for why I'm attempting to write a book. If you want to know more about the book I'm writing -- well, I'm a little embarrassed to say because it sounds kind of silly. But it's an LDS fiction novel about a 20-year-old who gets fired and has to deal with a job search and being called to the activities committee, which both take her way out of her comfort zone. Maybe I'll post more about it when I'm finished!

Don said...

"Weinberg on Writing, the Fieldstone Method" by Gerald M. Weinberg, author of more than 40 books, suggests a different view. He outlines ways to work on more than one writing project at a time as long as you care about each subject.