A few months ago, my critique partner brought up a question that gave me pause: Have you ever decided to shelve a WIP?
She was struggling with a project she’d been trying to write for about a year. Her muses came in waves, sometimes incoherent, counterproductive ones. She felt like she had no idea what was happening her the book. She was trying to decide if she should shelve the book or keep fighting through until she found her footing.
It was such an interesting question, I asked if she minded if I shared the question on my writing advice page.
Now, keep in mind, I am part of the minority that thinks we don’t quit enough in this age and country. I have quit a lot. The distinction I’ve tried to make is that instead of running away from things, I try to run towards new goals. This has worked well with jobs, careers, and—you guessed it—novels. I have a filing cabinet full of story ideas and first drafts I haven’t taken the time to draft or revise and polish. To give you some idea, here’s the first page of my active Scrivener projects:
The ones I have full or partial first drafts of?
Baggage
Brotherhood
The Last of the Dragon Lords
Valkyrie
Fortitude novellas: Cabin Fever; Infection; Scavenge; Supply & Demand
Hijacked
Military Man
The Homework Assignment
The Pit Stop
Waterlogged
So trust me, I have experience here. Especially in the earlier years, when I was exploring what it meant to be an author and what it took to get published. (Something I wish I’d learned about a decade earlier. But I didn’t! So here we are now.) Each story and draft has taught me something at the craft, even if it remains incomplete. For now.
My humble two cents: if you’ve been working on a story for a year and you feel like you’re bashing your head against the wall, shelve it. My DIY MFA taught me you have to REALLY love a project to spend three years writing and revising and querying and revising again. If it feels like a drudge the whole time, what’s the point? I started my MFA as creative nonfiction for a semester. Then I changed to a sci-fi Asteroid Belt duology (Hijacked) I wanted to write for a hot minute. My thesis ended up being a contemporary women’s fiction, The Pit Stop. It’s the only manuscript I have taken through the revision process and queried. For now.
When I finished my DIY MFA in November 2021, I had no idea which of my manuscripts I wanted to go back to and complete. Or which newer brainstorming idea I wanted to germinate. Then, in the span of a week, I thought up Baggage, which had never even crossed my mind before. Here I am a year and some months later, six outlines and a very messy first draft under my belt. And I’m still loving every complicated minute of the process, which tells me I picked the right story.
That’s not to say it’s been a smooth road by any means. In October, I realized my first draft was on target to be 110,000 words. I was devastated to go back to the drawing board and hack away at the outline. Today, after penning the last word, I’m ready for a Ross-Rachel we were on a break for a month or two to give myself a break.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I have so, so many ideas on the backburner LOL. When my critique partner sent me this email three months ago, I thought I was going to bring The Last of the Dragon Lords back to life next. I returned to my first draft (and my God, it was horrible!), dusted it off, and re-outlined the entire first novel. I even started on the outline for the second in the duology while I waited for feedback.
Now, I’m looking at doing The Gravity of Us. I went from wanting to write adult Viking dragons to a young adult STEM summer romance. My career shift left zero emotional capacity for the MC’s emotional Baggage or for the clan wars and heavier themes for my Viking MC. So in the span of a week, I dusted off Tortoise Love. I finished outlining it, changed the name to The Gravity of Us, and here we are two weeks later. Three months after her question to me, my CP is back working on that project she wasn’t sure on. And I LOVE it.
Never say never. Say it isn’t the best project for today if something else demands attention. But I keep everything I shelve. If an idea comes for a story I’m not currently working on, I write it down in, either the project binder or a note on my phone. Don’t let the idea dissipate. With these write them and forget them notes, I have it if/when I return to that world. (I have pages and pages of notes for the Aria high fantasy septology I plan to write down the road.)
The key is to keep writing. Don’t give up because you have a rough week. That’s what critique partners are for. Mine are so good at spotting issues and offering suggestions that get the What If wheel spinning in new directions. Their comments help pull me out of the crushing waves of despair and point me back towards the shore.
Everyone knows their own writing process best, but I find working on three different stories in three different stages helps. I was querying The Pit Stop while outlining and drafting Baggage and brainstorming The Last of the Dragon Lords and then The Gravity of Us. When I get stuck or frustrated with one, I have something else teed up to keep creativity flowing. I set a planned break and then return with fresh eyes and new ideas.
It’s a balance, and every story is different. You know you, your heart, and your characters best. Never discount your gut, but don’t give up over one rough week – or month. It happens to the best of us.
Happy writing my friends. Safe tides!