Dear Flyboy,
Remember that grandfather you had that I said was the reason you were moving and then I killed him because everyone convinced me there were too many people in the book? Remember him?
Well I don’t think he’s dead.
Signed,
Author returning to her original idea
Dear Plant kid,
You’re right and I’m wrong. There, does that make you feel better? I hate it when I give my power away and that’s exactly what I did. I am a social writer and I love LOVE LOVE talking about my books before they are actually books. I love to brainstorm and bounce things off of trusted friends. But the one thing I forget is that ideas are fragile and I need feedback that comes from a loving place.
I think part of the problem is that I don’t have anyone to talk to about your book or any of the other books I am working on. I’ve lost my brainstorming partners so except for talking to you here, there’s really no one else who wants to listen to me try on plots for size or help me figure out the motivation behind a certain character’s actions.
I know writing is a lonely business but I need to talk to some people about you sometimes, someone other than you. You should know that I have been thinking about you lately and where you live. I think it’s your sister, a sister you hadn’t seen in a long time for some reason. And the house looks a lot like the one I grew up in. How do you feel about an attic bedroom?
Signed,
Author grateful for second chances
Dear lost boy,
I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s all my fault so go ahead and rant at me if you want. All things considered, when you think about what went on that night on the OTHER side of the door, maybe being wet and cold and hungry was better after all?
What do you think?
Signed,
Author who hates hurting characters she loves
I really, really love these missives.
Thank you for letting me know you enjoy them. It helps me decide to keep sharing them. :-0
I know writing is a lonely business but I need to talk to some people about you sometimes, someone other than you.
Oh, my, I know this particular kind of loneliness SO very well. *hugs*
One of these days, you’ll have to read back over all these letters in order, just to see how far you’ve come with these characters and stories. *g*
Thanks for the hugs. It’s hard being a social writer sometimes. Sigh.
And I reread the letters every day before I write a new one. I compliled them all into their own pages, one for each character, and put links in the sidebar.
I often start off with no idea what I’m going to say or what they’re going to say, and then I read the previous letter and POW, the words start.
I still think plants are boring and I don’t think you are going to be able to make it into something that a kid is going to want to read.
That’s awesome! I just noticed your icon and I have that same smurf toy around here somewhere, complete with desk. <^^>
Heehee!
I have a bunch of writing Smurfs (and other writing figurines.) The Smurfs always make me smile.
Plant Kid wrote, “Yes, plants are boring to some people. There’s so much that takes place underground and now you’ve let someone convince you that you don’t have the skills to bring my story to the surface.”
You answered, “You’re right and I’m wrong. There, does that make you feel better? I hate it when I give my power away and that’s exactly what I did.”
I think Plant Kid is leading you down the right track. The thing is, if he is passionate about plants (or anything), that passion is going to count for a lot. After all, Joan Bauer wrote a successful book about growing a prize squash. Elizabeth Bunce just had a terrific post about this kind of thing, about how an inspired writer can make us care about subjects we wouldn’t have thought we’d like. Here’s the link if you haven’t seen it already:
http://elizabethcbunce.livejournal.com/45917.html
I’m thinking of Magic or Madness, where the character is obsessed with math and the Fibonacci sequence. Tell me that sounds like something a kid would like? I liked it. So there. Sounds like you need some good crit partners, Susan!
Good point about math! Thank you!
I have a good crit group for when I have something ready to be critiqued. I love them and they are great at it. (And the conversation about plants being boring didn’t come from any of them.) But they don’t brainstorm the way I do or like to chat about the books at the stage I do so I do need to find perhaps another group, an additional group, that would fill that need. But man, that’s tough to do!
I have a wonderful group of three crit/ beta readers that really think on my same wavelength. I can’t emphasize enough how great they are. Maybe post a description of your book and see if there are some LJ’ers who are also looking?
I can’t take on any more. 🙁
Thanks for the reassurance and the link to the great post.
It’s hard sometimes to remember that story follows passion. I think the insecurity also comes from several conversations I’ve been having with a couple of groups of people about what “types” of books make money and seem to be almost “evergreen” and how I am so not that type of writer. I’ll never write fantasy or vampires or something funny. I don’t know that I could do chick lit.
But I know about passion. And it’s easy to transfer the passion I feel for writing into the passion for flying or plants or something else.
Thanks again, Jen.
You are so right. Thank you.