Yeah. The crappy writing is there under all those book starts. I run about three chapters and then I know if it is any good. How do I know. I go back and read it a few weeks later and if it sucks it sucks. And many of these book starts do. Its amazing novels get written at all. They start from such a humble place. A jumble of sentences and an idea and from that comes a chapter and then another and then the thing has to go on its own. Most of the time it dies.
I have many starts to my credits. Novels that just die from lack of oxygen. Lately my criteria has changed to I only work on something I get a contract on. So if a start is not commissioned then I don't pursue unless it really catches. And I have one start that is an orphan that I probably will pursue but it is one of those books that requires a big commitment and right now I cant do that. So back to the drawing board to fire up a few more starts.
The idea is good but the prose just lays there. Worse it feels like something I wrote before. This is enough to kill off the book start. There has to be a germ of something better. Something unseen to get the eye to move to move to the next sentence the next page. But if the start just lays there then it dies never to returned too.
I have a lot of book starts and few books. Maybe I'll find another one that can make it all the way. Maybe not.
www.williamhazelgrove.com
The Pitcher
I have many starts to my credits. Novels that just die from lack of oxygen. Lately my criteria has changed to I only work on something I get a contract on. So if a start is not commissioned then I don't pursue unless it really catches. And I have one start that is an orphan that I probably will pursue but it is one of those books that requires a big commitment and right now I cant do that. So back to the drawing board to fire up a few more starts.
The idea is good but the prose just lays there. Worse it feels like something I wrote before. This is enough to kill off the book start. There has to be a germ of something better. Something unseen to get the eye to move to move to the next sentence the next page. But if the start just lays there then it dies never to returned too.
I have a lot of book starts and few books. Maybe I'll find another one that can make it all the way. Maybe not.
www.williamhazelgrove.com
The Pitcher
