After a month of no writing (zip, zilch, zero), I’m knocking the rust off and plotting Novel #2, which is tentatively titled Nothing to Lose. Chances are good that the title won’t stick, but I’m pretty sure the story will. I hope. The right working title hasn’t dawned on me yet, but it will. Again, I hope.
Now, I know lots of you are wondering what I did with Novel #1 since I’m working on Novel #2. Well…I took the advice I normally give first time novelists and I burned it. That’s right, I placed it gently in my Weber kettle grill, gave it a good soaking of gas that I had siphoned from my lawnmower, and tossed a match on it (from a safe distance, of course). Then, to the astonishment of my sixty-something year old neighbors, I danced around it.
No. No, wait. Scratch that. That’s a dream I had after seeing Inception. So I’ve got my advice giving mixed up. Actually, that’s not what I tell first time novelists. Close, but not exactly the same. What I do tell them is to take that first manuscript, put it in a drawer, and move on to the next story. Nine times out of ten, it’s what’s best for all of us.
“But wait,” you say. “I’m trying to get published here. How is shoving my manuscript into a drawer the best thing for me?”
I’m glad you asked.
For most of us, that first novel should be about the joy of finishing. If you’re like me, you may have started that first one as as experiment to discover if you could even finish something as monumental as writing a novel. It was a learning experience, wrestling with plot, pacing, character, dialogue, and the other thirty or so chainsaws that storytellers must juggle all at once. But in the end, when you look back at it, the final product just isn’t that good. Problem is, the people in our lives aren’t going to tell us that (more than likely) because our fascination with storytelling is endearing in a quirky sort of way. This is a problem, because…
It leads to us becoming fixated on getting this one published, which is what mires most would be writers. True story: when I was at Thrillerfest this year I participated in AgentFest. It’s a version of speed dating for writers where agents hear 3-minute pitches from writers for three hours straight. If we like the “elevator pitch” we ask the writer to send their synopsis, etc. If we don’t, they leave on the verge of tears (sorry, Chip).
When it came my turn to talk, I led with the same two questions with every writer: (1) How long did it take you to write your first book? and (2) What are you working on now?” The vast majority of the time, the answers went like this: “Well, good question. It took me about seven years, writing off and on, to finish this one. And, now? What am I working on now? You mean besides trying to get this one published, right? Um…nothing, really.”
Now, this is a problem because publishers are interested in more than just “this one”. They want to know what’s coming down the pike. Will it take you seven years to finish the next one? Contrary to some may believe, publishing is a monster that must be fed. A lot. It’s about being prolific, however many books that means for you. But, it can’t mean seven year gaps. Publishers and agents both want to know that you can deliver.
It takes several books to figure out how to really understand storytelling. This is a truth that I didn’t want to accept until I talked with several career writers during one of the cocktail receptions at Thrillerfest. I had made the observations that everyone there was in their 40′s, 50′s, and 60′s. What I found out was that most of the bestsellers out there didn’t start until they were 35-ish. And then it took them 5, 6, sometimes 10 novels to get noticed. Oftentimes, the first five went into the drawer. And that was the rule, not the exception. They finished one and started the next one. Over and over and over again. Now, they were pitching their books at the same time, but they never stopped writing. And eventually most of them broke through.
So here I sit, thinking about this new project and where I want to go with it. My first one is behind me and in a drawer. Number Two will be the one that I shop and will, hopefully, get published. Either way, I’ve learned some lessons that will guide and inform me on this leg of the journey. And I’ve been able to share them with others and I’ve been told it’s been helpful. So there you have it.
You know, regardless of whether I keep the title or not, I think it’s apropos. Nothing to Lose. Happy writing to everyone out there like me.
*Beware: Potential spoiler alert!