If we agree to group the parts as 1: Getting an idea 2: Executing on it and getting the first draft done 3: Begging for feedback while writing or after first draft 4: Improving the first draft and EDITING 5: Defining the market, readership and genre of your book 6. Sending out to publishers and agents?
I have enjoyed parts 1, 2 and 3. But Editing is getting me down as well as is evaluating how attractive my book is to current readers.
Robert, what a well-thought out and lucid reply, though I only saw it now (my email alerts have stopped, need to check the settings).
I like your insights into stage 5 best. All publishers should have a 'difficult to describe' genre. I too write without thinking of readership or genre, purely because it is an interesting idea (to me) at least. So it feels great to know there are others out there. However, this will be a problem farther on the publishing route, if we do not evaluate ourselves, and so I think one will have to take off the hat of writer, academic and dreamer, and put on 'sales (wo)man, marketer, will smile for the cameras'.
And I am going through Stage 6 for a writing competition now, checking my mail every few hours, hoping to be on the shortlist (and agonising about how and whether I should celebrate or share, should I qualify). I am finding the book 'The next best thing' by Jennifer Weiner quite comforting now, as the first few pages (which is all I have read so far) describe the exact same situation. Her opening quote is 'Please, please, please, let me, let me, let me, let me get what I want this time' from The Smiths, (whatever that is).
Your reply was very useful, thank you.
I tend to find that I have various fears at each of the stages.
Stage 1:
I usually find that I have any number of ideas, but choosing one which I feel I could develop is much, much harder. I consider it perfectly normal for me to start a new story on Monday and completely dislike it by Wednesday. It then gets shoved into an archive folder in the dark, scary recesses of my hard drive where the ghosts of stories-to-be-cannibalised go, probably never to see the light of day again. Occasionally I open this archive to re-hash something or have another go, but generally it's like a bad ideas graveyard. I'm only happy with a story once it's been with me for a few weeks and has taken on a life of its own. That's when I breathe a sigh of relief for this stage.
Stage 2:
I don't plan my stories very much. If I do write an outline, it is normally departed from within a month or so. So for me, getting a story to the point of typing those wonderful words, "The End", is a non-stop concern. I wouldn't call it worry, just concern. I have been known to rip up stories at the 20k, 50k and even 90k marks before now and start again because I didn't like the way they were heading. I think I probably only finish about 10% of the stories which I start. I may even be being very generous on that statistic.
Stage 3:
I tend to skip this part in favor of editing after a 3-6 month break away from the story. On the odd occasion I will post problematic excerpts here for review. I normally do that when I feel that I can't judge the writing well enough for myself or if I want a second opinion on how something flows, is created as a scene in the head, etc.
Stage 4:
I hate editing with a passion, so always dread this part. It seldom changes. I just can't get excited about getting my green pen out to rip it apart. On the other hand, many of my best changes have come at this stage, so there is something positive here that I can (try to) look forward to.
Stage 5:
Usually I don't agonise about this part. I normally set out to write, in example of my current novel, an LGBT-themed fantasy story loosely based on Arthurian legend in the modern day. So I have already categorised it as a contemporary LGBT- themed fantasy. I also like it when publishers give the option "Difficult to describe" on their submission pages.
I also often have problems working out the exact readership. I normally write with myself in mind first of all, then more specifically LGBT people of around my age (25-35-ish), then a more general audience of contemporary fantasy readers of about the same age. If that sounds a bit vague, it's probably because I haven't quite nailed down the readership in my own mind yet.
Stage 6:
This one petrifies me. Always, every time and without exception. I have yet to figure out a cure for it other than blowing the MSS a kiss and hitting "Send" on the e-mail or trying to karate kick the envelope into the mailbox when it gets stuck halfway. Then I have to try not to drive everybody nuts as I wait for a reply. (I am very grateful for my very patient family.)
I hope that you find something of use in here.
Thanks for all the responses. I was glad to see so many people hated editing-like me! Having said that, reading Astor's response about the fear of starting made me realise, I was scared when I started too, and thats why I wrote 2 short stories to distract me as I started my first novel.
Jonathan, your response was so eloquent that I was so really moved (as were others, you have 9 likes right now) -thanks for the encouragement and saying that I am past the summit and have the hardest parts behind me- we need encouragement and it feels wonderful to get that acknowledgement from someone who has clearly been there. And I really hope your manuscript is accepted and you will using fan-mail surfeits perhaps in your wood burner ; 0
Jennifer, I loved your response, we do have to learn when to stop, as no piece of writing can ever be perfect. Completely agree.