When is it time to scratch your novel?

Jamesaritchie said:

And what happens when the next one gets stale?

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I agree with this. I'd say finish.
So much of what you have done is finished. I think what King means is that it's easier to keep on going and finish the draft, than re-visiting the novel years later. I do not think he said that you are explicitly forbidden to ever work on that novel again.

Btw, I remember reading your opening part in SYW. (I am correct? Right?) And it was pretty solid.

Just wanted to add, I've picked up my own novel again after a break of two years. And I'd only done a few thousand words, before I decided I would never be able to maintain the voice through the novel, and thus abandoned it.
This time it is tougher, but I intend to stick around.
And the voice is so far covered.

... once you get started you'll most likely get into it. It isn't a crime to abandon a draft, but if you think yours has merit you should probably see it through to the end. So again, just get started and push your way through. G'luck.

I first started mine in Spring of 1990. I finally finished the last (of my) revisions last month--twenty-two years (almost to the day) later.

There were a few multi-year hiatuses (or is it hiati?). But I never completely gave up on it.

Sometimes you're just not ready.

I think you have to judge each book separately and trust your gut.

I used to think you had to finish everything.

Then I realised if a book really isn't working, editing bits here and there over years is a waste of time when you could be writing something new.

Then I realised a bit of perspective can allow you to see a book in a new light, and a bit of life experience can enable you to edit it/write it better than before.

Then I realised if you rewrite something too often, sometimes the light goes out of it.

Then I realised, if the story is good enough, it's good enough.

Ahem.

At the moment I'm rewriting two stories that are both more than five years old in origin. Both I'd given up on in the past, but however often I've tried to forget them, I've never been able to fully shake them out of my brain. A reread suggests to me there's something in them worth exploring.

One of them I retyped into a blank word document ie forcing myself to type each word out fresh. That way I wasn't just editing the old story, I was both revising each and every word and also getting back into the world and the feel of it all. It's helped a lot.

Can't say either will ever get published, but I need to get them out of my head.

You can always make it exciting for yourself again, if you're more spontaeous rather than a plotter. I know with novels I've let run dry, I've been able to pick up steam once more by throwing characters into even more peril than previous.

However... if you're plotted, and know exactly where you want it to go down to character interactions, you've just got to slog on with it and get it done.

Most importantly, remember that writing is work. It's not always going to be happy fun author time: sometimes it's just a grind and nothing more. Personal opinion: get it done before starting anything new. It'll be a worthwhile lesson, and you can't query a half finished manuscript.

Good luck!

randywrite said:

I once read in Stephen King’s book On Writing (paraphrased) he recommended working on the first draft of your novel daily, otherwise the story tends to get stale. I think I’m starting to agree with Mr. King on this one.

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I agree with him as well. To me, this means to finish what I start.

I started a novel back in 2008 and I’m not even close to finishing it now in 2012. I think the novel is based on a really decent idea, but I haven’t written anything on it since the end of 2010. And the thought of writing on it does seem stale and mundane

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.

Why did you stop working on it?

I wonder if it’s time to scratch the novel and move on. Or should I try to rekindle a spark and start working on it again.
Any wisdom to offer on the subject?

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You don't have to love what you write, you just have to write it.

No more excuses. Finish the novel, edit it, do a query letter, and get it out there.