I don't know if it's a fault or not, but I constantly find myself looking back on my older stories, especially the ones that haven't found a home. Sometimes this gets in the way of my working on new stuff, sure, but there's a part of me that feels somehow held back by a piece of writing that never quite got to where I thought it should go while I was writing it.
So while I'm gearing up for my current novel, I find myself looking back at Memories of Home, my National Novel Writing Month novel from a few years ago. At the time, the NaNoWriMo folks had a deal with Lulu.com, and I was able to have one copy of my novel published for myself, and I went ahead and left Memories of Home available online for others to download and even purchase if they wanted to. A few websites reviewed the book, and I moved on.
But it's always stuck in my head. And I always asked myself the big what if? questions. What if Memories of Home can be expanded beyond the 50,000-ish words I threw down during NaNoWriMo? What if I could turn it into a full-length novel and even shop it around?
I think I might give it a go. Of course, I hope it doesn't get in the way of the current novel and non-fiction project . . .
2 comments:
Hey D! I totally understand what you mean by looking back. I don't think you are alone in that at all. I've got a buddy that has an epic that he keeps going back to and tinkering with even though he keeps moving onward with other books and short stories. It's this big thing that he always wanted to get off his plate but can't seem too. So it's always that "When I get back to" project that bugs the hell out of him.
I would say just roll up your sleeves and work on it. Do everything you need to do and get your plate clean for the new stuff. Otherwise you'll always be pushing literary food around it on your plate.
My two cents.
Dave
I love your writing, D! I know it can be difficult to balance all that life throws at you, but writing is something you love and are good at, so I know that while it might take a while to start and finish your projects, they will be AWESOME! I can't wait to read.
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