Project Envy Part II: Abandonment

I blogged recently about having a fantastic story idea whilst in the middle of a project. Well, guess what? That fantastic story idea has now become my primary project, and Cupidity and The 25 Demons You Meet In Hell have been relegated to the backburner.

This wasn't an easy decision. For one thing, is sure as hell doesn't look professional. What if 25/Hell had been under contract? I'd have a hard time justifying that to an editor, or my agent. Thing is, sometimes it is a decision you have to make for your own creative good.

I wasn't happy with 25/Hell. Can't say exactly what it was; I had a funny main character, and a vision of Hell that I thought was pretty unique. Plus, a killer title. So what went wrong? I really can't say. I'd managed to get through 12 chapters, after all. Couldn't I have held on a bit longer?

But there's the rub - I was hanging on to that project simply to hang on to it. Inside I was wishing I were doing something better. Then I came upon an idea with some real meaning for me, and I longed to jump straight into it. I held that new idea at bay for two weeks, hoping that 25/Hell would reinspire me. It didn't. So now I've launched my next book, tentatively titled Kids Who Know, and I've already written the first chapter. It feels right, and the writing isn't just a struggle. At least, so far. Time will tell how well this new project will work out for me.

As for 25/Hell (and, for that matter, Cupidity and a few other half-finished projects on my hard-drive), I will hold onto it for the time being. Maybe I'll get to the point where I'll really want to tell that story again. Or maybe not. We'll see. In the meantime, please wish me luck with Kids Who Know. May it turn out to be everything I want - and need - it to be.