I hate my book

Daisy

I've decided I hate the book I'm trying to write at the moment. It's a children's book. I thought I had a good idea and a good plan when I started it at the end of last year. Now it feels and sounds ridiculous. I'm asking myself should I bin the whole thing and start afresh with a new idea. But I don't like giving up on things. Maybe I should just rethink and revise it. I've never thought like this about anything I've written before and am wondering if I should give up writing - maybe my writing "career" (ha ha) has run it's course.

cooper

DAISY! (Scholl ma'ams voice) Whatever you do, never give up on your writing. And don't bin this project either. Put it to one side (I find the bottom of a wardrobe particularly useful for this purpose. Don't use the attic, you might find some of IK's tormentors.) take a break, kit-kats help. Start a new book or just take a sabatical for a couple of months. Then go back to the current book, if you can remember which wardrobe you put it in, and set to work on a darned good revision. Whatever you decide, don't give up. If I remember rightly, you are published, so you know your work is good enough. Stick at it, all will come good in the end.

Have a :-) on me.

DianaW

Daisy, I've tried that before (the sudden feeling of it being anoying and ridiculous) and after a while I got a really good idea, and then I was truely grateful that I hadn't thrown it all away. So my advise is: Put it in your drawer, work on something else and then go back to work on it later.

Jay Mandal

I agree with what's been said. Is there someone whose opinion you value who could give an objective view? Hope it turns out OK in the end.

Tessadragon

Too right, Daisy: DO NOT BIN THE BOOK!!! they're giving the right advice, to put is aside, stop beating yourself up about it, have a treat, give a big sigh of satisfaction and have fun with the writing :)

Rosalie

Oooh this sounds familiar, Daisy.

It may be that subconsciously you have recognised that something in it needs revision. Not that the whole thing is worthless - it may be something fairly simple tp put right. The only way you'll find out is to take the advice above - put it away and work on something else. And remember, no writing is ever wasted. Even if you did decide to to leave this one behond and move on to something new - it's still there as part of your development as a writer and you may come back to it at some stage.

Sometimes it's just that familiarity breeds contempt - you work so long and hard on something you get sick of it. Very natural. Same solution - put it away for a while.

Good luck!

Don't don't don't even think about giving up.

flyingtart

Can't add to these excellent answers. Believe me, Daisy, this is the commonest problem writers have. There will be days when you look at it and despair. Leave it for a while and I guarantee when you read it in six months or a year from now you will find a lot that's worthy in it. :-)

candy

Hi Daisy, do not bin anything. Even if you don't like it, some bits may be useful for another story. When I started writing my first fantasy novel, I wrote a whole lot of stuff that I didn't like. I kept the material and used some of it for my second novel which I'm pleased to say is now being published in Poland and Russia. I was damn glad I didn't chuck anything away.

pragmatist

Agree with the "don't bin it" comments. But rather than the bottom of a wardrobe, (assuming it's on a computer) why not write it to CD/DVD and put a copy in a safe place where you CAN remember it is - perhaps with a friend ? That way when you need it you don't need to retype it. One of my biggest faults is forgetting where I've put a computer file :)

P

cooper

Pragmatist. I was only joking about the wardrobe :-)

pragmatist

Cooper - aah - you should see my wardrobe ! You could easily hide both the Lion and the Witch amongst the junk ! But I do mislay files often - perhaps not helped by having 3 different computers on the go for work and writing - could just be the onset of senior moments tho !

cooper

I store all maner of sporting goods in my wardrobe. Hockey sticks, half a dozen hockey balls, shin guards, cricket bat and squach racquet. I have absolutely no idea why I do this. Sadly, I will never again be able to partake of any sport so why do I keep these painful reminders. Is it the one day maybe syndrome?

dorothyd

leave it, Daisy. leave it and go write something else. Suddenly an idea, or a major revision idea, will occur to you for this current book and you can go back to it and revise and rewrite and get it right. Don't bin it and don't ever think your writing career is over, either. There are many other ideas bubbling but because you have been working on this one, they have been suppressed. Take the cover off the cauldron, (the cover being the current book) and allow the steam (the ideas) to escape and see where they take you.

TaffetaPunk

Daisy, I left rewriting my first book for a number of years and I've only recently dug it out again to rework it. The story was good but the writing was terrible so I thought, right, good ideas for this are springing up all over the place, so I started writing it from scratch but using the old ms as a template to work from. It's given me a much-needed break from the one I'd just finished editing and when I go back to that one with fresh eyes I'll feel better about it.

The moral of the story is this: even if you leave it years and years, don't ever chuck it. And writers don't give up writing - it's in our blood. Hang in there, girl. It'll all come right in the end.

Stirling

Sometimes it isn't until you start writing, that you realise that something isn't working.

Put it aside, you may or may not return to it. I have done this many a time with a story that seemed good in my mind, but just doesn't work on paper.

Daisy

You are all right, of course. I think the problem may be that I've been trying to write "another one like the other three" for the publisher. What I've really been wanting to do is write something different. Putting it aside for a bit is definitely the answer - there is no hurry for it at the moment anyway. Getting the objective opinion is a good idea too when I go back to it. So while it's out of sight I'll get on with writing what I want to write next - even if it isn't right for my publisher (which it won't be). At least I'll feel I'm doing something creative and enjoyable again instead of turning out another sausage! Very frustrating though.

Now I discover Cooper was only joking about putting the ms or disc in the bottom of the wardrobe. It's going to take me at least an hour of rummaging to get it back out again!;)

Stirling

Good on you Daisy.

I think you have to write what you want to write, and I understand the risk you are running. However, seeing you have a backlist, if they don't like it then you can take it somewhere else.

If people took more risks, this world would be a more happier place.

Highland Midge

Daisy, I once put exactly these feelings to a writing tutor at WN and she reminded me that unless you're writing something really gritty and realistic, you'll be asking your readers to suspend thier disbelief whilst reading. You have to do the same to a certain extent if you're to believe in your characters and so on. I find occasionally I lose this ability and everything seems ridiculous in the cold light of day. But then, as the tutor said, most fiction is if you look at it like that. I'm sure you'll be able to see its merits again after a break. Don't give up.

Daisy

I guess the time to stop writing is when you don't enjoy it anymore.

cooper

Oooops. Sorry Daisy :-)

Carol

Never bin ANYTHING!
I binned my teenage writings- a sci-fi romance- and deeply regret it.
You have received the best advice here, so follow it. Come back to it later, and it will work once again. :)

scratch

Yeah! Wot they all said, innit!

Celtic C

Lots of us have been there Daisy - so over-involved in our work then suddenly we have a reality check and fail to see any merit in it because we're too close to it.
It's all been said already - have a break and try something different but never bin!
And well done for having the courage to come on and admit how you felt about it. :-)

mcbemused

The bin is not your friend Daisy. Give it some distance and time (during which you can write other things!) and you will then see what can be done to put it right.

Josette

Well, I can't really add to all this great advice, Daisy. I will agree with it all though and say never ever give up. I have so many half finished books and short stories. I never bin any of them. As soon as I get an idea I start writing something and then every so often I just go back and add bits here and there and I'm hoping (eventually!) to have something book-length :-)

Remember : Talkbackers are tenacious critters, Talkbackers are not quitters!

Carol

And so say all of us!!!! :)

mcbemused

I can't even say that, Josette, let alone remember it! Maybe I should cut back on the wine.

Neph

I put my novel to one side for about three years and now feel ready to have another go at it. So never ever ever throw anything away.

Rosalie

Yes, like Carol I failed to keep the novel I wrote in my teens. I'm sure it wasn't much good but I would so love to read it now. Sadly I wrote it in red biro and after 10 years it was light brown and almost unreadable. Another ten years and it had faded to almost nothing... :(

Fiona

I agree - don't bin it! But your feelings towards it should not be ignored. There are two options here - both of which are positve.

Option 1: you're just feeling a bit down, insecure and too close to your work to be objective about it anymore. Solution: as everyone said, put it aside for a while and look at it later and / or send it for a critique to get an objective opinon. Outcome: you will rediscover the book with a new vigour when you are in a better creative space.

Option 2: it really is crap! So what's the good news about that? You've grown enough as a writer to realise it. You've outgrown the piece and need to apply yourself to something more worthy of your developed talent. But don't throw it away - the idea may still be good but just needs reworking into a more mature form. Same solution as before: leave it for a while then come back to it.

Soobdoo

I can really sympathise with you Daisy.
That's what's so nice about Talkback.
Lots of good advice and help to get us through the bad patches that are inevitable.
:-)
Also some one to share the good bits with.
:-)

Daisy

Fiona, it's feeling like option 2 at the moment! On the other hand, I've been feeling fed up with most things recently, so it might turn out to be option 1. Anyway, it's out of sight now, so I can get on with other writing. I always remember someone saying "read what you want to write", so I might go back to basics and move into the children's library for a few weeks!:)