When I had my first child, I couldn't imagine that any other child could ever be loved as much as I loved him. He was perfect and he was mine.Writing Mara, first book baby, the gestation period lasted over 1.5 years. It was hard work, with lots of back tracking, rewriting, and having NO CLUE what I was doing. I loved my book with a fierceness to rival any Mama Bear, overlooking any and all flaws.
Then I started reading about favorite writers and following author stories. All these great writers didn't publish their first books. (Kiersten White, Natalie Whipple, Beth Revis, and Carrie Ryan, to name a few).
Not me, I vowed. I would not be able to live if my first book baby wasn't published.
I finished Mara, and even Mama Bear me could see its enormous, cannot be fixed, flaws. Talk about bottom of the barrel, if-I-drank-I-would, depressed. I'd wasted twenty months of my life, and I had nothing to show for it.
But then I started writing a new story, and I fell in love all over again (as I have with each subsequent child). And my writing this time around (while still flawed) was getting better. My story arced, my characters had somewhat realistic dialogue. I don't mind that book baby Mara is on the back shelf, possibly permanently. I've realized that the time and love I gave that manuscript, it wasn't wasted, it shaped me into the writer I am now.
So if you're working on your first book baby and the fear of it not being published is looming large, know that no writing you do will be wasted. Take it as a giant, learning experience. Allow yourself to move on and write better because of it.
I hope my book baby will get published one day, although it'll probably take a whole rewrite to do it. I really REALLY hope Mara makes a reappearance because I love that story. Good for you for moving ahead, though.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like Mara Ilima. I still love her too. I hope one day I'll be able to go back to her, but right now I'm moving forward. It's a good way to be.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic advice. I think every writer becomes so attached to their first book that, if it isn't published, they feel like a failure. The truth is, most people's first books are more of a learning curve than anything else. :D
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, we have had long discussions about this, Robin. I think the only way Rowaness survived is that I threw out six months of writing and completely redid the entire plot, added characters, etc. And still I had to fix/revise tons of stuff later. It's a miracle it all worked out. Mara will have her day, you'll see. In the meantime, I'm glad you have Ruby to ooh and aah over. And you're absolutely right. No writing is wasted. EVER. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi :)
ReplyDeleteJust popping in from the IWSG
It's so nice to read such a positive post today, GO YOU honey :)
Xx
Oh, I can so relate to this post Robin! I shared the same fears about my first child. I was afraid I couldn't love another as much. BUT then, along came #2, and then #3. God kept expanding my heart, to accommodate and unconditionally love another child. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to writing, it is very similar. Our stories become a part of us. There will always be a special place in my heart for all of my characters, whether they become a realization or not.
Excellent post, I couldn't agree more! Nothing is ever wasted indeed. Each word we write helps us improve.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and for following!
Great advice Robin! It's true, though I never thought my first book would be published, lol. It's THAT horrible. But it definitely did pave the way for me to get better!
ReplyDeleteI wrote my first book because I just wanted to inspire the great writer I know to start writing herself. It worked:)
ReplyDeleteFYI our first real child isn't flawed though our parenting was.
It is exciting that your criq group has seen so much success already!
This is something so important for new authors to remember. We tend to expect the best from our first stories and it rarely happens. But you're so right, even tho they may go nowhere, they're an important stepping stone for us on our way to great writing. :)
ReplyDeleteI attached myself to my first book for 20 years before I finally wrote my second. I finally learned that moving on is the most important thing. We learn from the places we have visited, and usually end up in far better territory.
ReplyDeleteOh, how well I remember this! I didn't want to give up on my first ms, not only because I was so in love, but also because I didn't want to be seen as a quitter! (I like to think I can conquer anything!) But I also knew enough to know that it wasn't ready, and sometimes one of the bravest things a writer can do is to let their baby go. You're not giving up, just moving on, and sometimes you'll go back, but often you'll realize it was just a learning process, and you've moved on to better things.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post, Robin. I have gone through the same thing and I agree that any writing is going to help us become better in the long run. It is all a growing experience.
ReplyDeleteI have an given you the Liebster Award on my blog. Feel free to stop by sometime to pick it up. :)
Andrea
...inspiring post, Robin ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed we learn from our first attempts, as well as our second, and our third. And if the passion burns, we'll continue to write, and learn.
El
Don't lie. All mothers secretly like their first children best.
ReplyDelete(And I say that because I am a first child. So obviously, my mother should love me more than my sister because I came first :))
And CARTWHEELS!!! Seriously, nobody will ever do them with me! I'm like, COME ON, GUYS, LET'S DO SOME CARTWHEELS! And people look at me like I'm crazy.
Thanks for sharing this. I have a massive phobia of completing my first WIP but your post makes sense - no writing ever goes to waste. It's the process of writing that is gained . Thanks once again.
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