The Monster Under the Bed
By Santa O'Byrne (Galley Ho)
There’s a monster under my bed. A huge, hideous, deformed creature who should have been put out of its misery long ago but I can’t bear to do it.
It started out as such a beautiful slip of a thing. All gangly legs and arms in a dress too short and shoes a trifle too small. Ah, but I love the darling. But it’s of no use to me now. As I said, a mere shadow of what it used to be. Where once it resembled a fresh, new face, it now looks more like Joan Rivers and Priscilla Presley after too many plastic surgeries.
It started out as a good idea to trim some of the fat off it and chisel away at some of the more awkward pieces. However, with each revision, I found my story slipping away. It was no longer the story about two people who decide to be open to loving one another despite his pride and her prejudices. See, I even had a high concept tie in. But I told more than I showed. Apparently, I weaved when I should have bobbed. So, I went for more feedback and, well, got what I asked for and applied each point.
BIG MISTAKE. I’ve been stuck here ever since. Every new direction calls for revisions in another area. Today, it in no way resembles my original story. A short time ago, I came to realize that it was time to move on. There was nothing more I could do for the poor soul but to relegate it to the dust bunnies and shadows under the bed. It’ll be safe there. No one will ever see it. And I mean no one.
So while it lives in the shadows I’ve chosen to write this new one in the light. I’m not going to worry about naming all the dynamics that should appear in each scene of every chapter. I’m going to write the book as it was meant to be told. I’m going to write my story about two people who couldn’t be more at odds in their opinions, attitudes and outlooks. Yet, they can’t seem to fight this attraction between them. It’s got him all tied up in knots. ;)
So, what about you? Do you have a monster lurking under your bed? What caused you to let it go and move on? What lessons have you learned from that experience?
Books by the Crew
65 comments:
Hi, Santa! I have several large smelly rabbits tucked away. One I had to carve up and remove all the sex for an editor who still rejected it, so that rabbit is very pissed off. I must say I don't think I hit my stride until my fourth book---I don't know whether that's encouraging or depressing news to writers out there.But the fourth book got me my agent, and even if it goes nowhere I have more for her to send out now.
But I do think you can overanalyze and rip and ruin, so that you wind up hating that adorable baby bunny you labored so long on. Very few first books wind up getting published, despite the fact we wish it were otherwise. So I'm just hopping along...
What a great blog. And those pictures. So cute. :)
The only finished product I have is a 13K word short story that has been rejected once. I do plan on sending it out again, so Anna isn't stuck with dust bunnies yet.
I have yet to finish a full length MS and I've said more than once, if this first book is the one that teaches me how to write but never sees the light of day, that's okay. Then again, the first three books could be the ones that teach me to write. Thanks for that, Maggie. LOL!
As in anything else, getting this thing write takes time and practice. There are few other things we do in life where we are expected to hit it out of the park on the first try. I often wonder why writers put so much pressure on that first effort.
Hi Santa! I love your blog. Although we sometimes hate to do it, it can feel good to put a book away--to let go of that frustration and move on to something new and fresh. Good luck on your new project!
Great blog Santa! I'm working on my fifth novel and I gotta tell you - that first one? ouch! It is not, however, under my bed. I started in fanfiction, and before realizing just how atrociously written it is, I put it out there for anyone to read. But, I figure, why be embarrassed now, since hundreds of people have read it. It just stays tucked at the bottom of my profile as an example of what I've (hopefully) learned.
And I think you're idea of just writing, of making sure the story is told, in the first draft is an excellent one. Really, that's the only way, because if you try to work in all the things you're "supposed" to be doing in the first draft, you're never actually going to get to just tell the story.
Maggie - I believe I hit my stride somewhere around #4 as well. And if I ever get up the nerve to send it out, perhaps it'll get me my agent too *g*
I'm like you.
I'm like Terri.
1) I listened too much to other people's opinions and over-polished the monster (why does that sound dirty?) till there was nothing interesting left.
2) I decided that said over-polished monster taught me how to write. Now I know not to over-polish, not to rub it so much there's no feeling left (sorry, couldn't resist).
Christina Dodd has a monster. He's from Guatemala, I think.
Santa, great post! And I think this is so true.
My first project isn't under the bed yet, but it's on an extended vacation to the closet. I've got no real desire to mess with it right now. Maybe I will in the months to come.
But I think that there is such a thing as over fixing something.
JK - Speaking of selling that first one, you sold your first MS didn't you?
Hal - I live by the 'vomit out the first draft' philosophy. Learned it here from a couple of our guest bloggers. I used to get completely stuck trying to make it perfect the first time through. I finally understood you have to tell the story before you can dress her up and make her pretty.
J - I always need a shower after reading your comments. LOL! Good lesson - less polish, more spit. ;)
Ahoy, maties! I've always wanted to say that. I'm just poppin' by.
Maggie-I don't know about anyone else but each of the books I've been privy to have been great! Book Four, huh? That suits me. I still hang on to the fact that LaDodd published after ten years despite Guatamala and Anna Campbell after 27. Just look at the wonderful books they've written.
I think this business is a great mixture of talent, timing and pure luck.
Hal and Terri - I'm all for vomiting it all out. And to think the mere thought of upchucking made me ill at one time. Must be the three kids I've had. They brace you for so much.
I'll be back later to comment further. I know I missed a few people. I'm off to take mum to a doctor's appointment.
TTFN,
San aka Galley Ho
Terri - the professor grading my MS at school says, "quality isn't drafted, it's revised in later." Which is basically a much less entertaining way of saying "vomit it out." :)
Love this blog! We all know that I keep killer dust bunnies as pets. I told you Q. *hrmphf*
I'm currently working on my third full length manuscript. Before I had any idea of what was going on, or even a concept on how to write the right way, I wrote a full length monstrosity named Mission: Distraction. It was a full length disaster set in fan fiction. And thank goodness, because you can really tell how my brain works in that story. I'm all over the place. (Hal's first one was great. And she knows it. And she's got the right idea. Write it all and then post it.)
My next one was much better. I've probably got something 30 stories under my belt in 3 years. The majority of them written that first year. I've learned that I just need to stop holding myself to others expectations. I have to just stop worrying if I'm info dumping or if I'm telling the story right and just let my character guide me. I know she will do a good job. She knows it better than I do.
And I have a muse. Is that a lot like having a monster from Guatemala?
*snort* I didn't learn the "write it all, then post it" lesson until the second one. The first one was frightening - I didn't even mean for it to be full-length. I thought it was a short one-shot *g*
And I agree - characters always know best. Even if at the moment, my character's not doing a very good job of explaining to me what's best. Stupid bitch :) (sorry, I've been fighting with her all morning!)
And the first one is always the scariest. I think that applies to nearly everything.
Yeah, I'm with you there. My first one was only inspired by the thought that Ranger and Steph should and would have sex again and it would be the most mind-blowing thing ever. It was supposed to be just a couple of pages. Ended up being 80k in a month. Why can't I do that now? *uuggh*
I'm not saying anything about my character this morning. She was nice to me yesterday and is still playing nice regardless if I have the time for it or not.
What's that quote? "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at the beginning" - I keep that taped to my computer monitor at work.
LOL! Great quote! :)
Hal - I know the vomit thing isn't pretty, but then neither is my first draft. LOL! I've never heard that quote. I've decided to cover the (currently bare!) peg board over my desk at home with some of these awesome quotes y'all throw around. That one is going on the board!
Sin - I'm pretty sure your monster, seeing as she likely has ninja tendencies, would be a little more subtle than a monster from Guatamala.
I'm trying to imagine this monster from Guatamala but all I can see in my head is those Gila Monsters and it running around with a sombero.
I'm a great starter and a terrible finisher. Consequently, instead of dust bunnies under my bed, I have dust mites. I have lots of those. :)
I am hoping that my first fill mss will be the door opener for me. The feedback I got from my first contest provided a new infusion of encouragement. Now I'm fired up to finish my revisions and start an agent search.
Janga, we could write together. I suck in the beginning but gather strength up as I move through the middle to the end.
That was "little one" leave home. LOL! See, I'm all giddy.
Janga - You have NO idea how giddy it makes me to hear you say (read you say?) that you're ready to go out there and get an agent. It's like watching my little leave home! LOL!
Go get 'em, Lady!
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I still have to finish revisions first, Ter. I'm giving myself three months to do that--not as long as it seems since the next 4-5 weeks are committed to some freelance stuff that I contracted for. On May 1, I start the agent search. That's a promise!
Yes, Terri. I did sell my first book, but after rewriting it a LOT. And that doesn't mean that I haven't put a book under the bed since then--although I still like it, and I'll probably look at it again when I'm not so busy (Yeah, right).
I'm trying to imagine Christina Dodd's monster. This is a reference I'm not getting. Maybe I need more coffee.
Morning, crew! Yeah, well, it's morning where I am...*yawn. Spent yesterday demolishing killer klutter...I am beat! Goodwill is going to love me! Setting all my crap free!
No killer dustbunnies, though I like the idea of a the Polished Monster...a mixed up drink of too much booze and not enough of payoff...leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but is so sweet in the beginning...
I'm still in love with my first book and hope to find it a home somewhere other than the highest tower in my laptop. But I gotta agree about watching out for the suggestions and the 'doing it by the book' stuff. The best story is going to be a great story...all the polishing in the world won't make a story great. It has to be great from the beginning. I'm going with the motto.
I get easily overwhelmed by 'expert' advice. I left RT Pittsburgh convinced I should give it all up...it was too confusing and too daunting...
Great blog topic.
Catching up here for a bit.
Hal - you do have some great quotes to live by. Lol, your computer screens must be really crowded. I am going to keep 'quality isn't drafted, it's revised in later'. So true. So true. I sometimes think of myself not so much as a writer but as a revisionist. Yes?
Sin - I too seem to be a strong starter with quite a bit of strong dialog and then it peeters out for a bit. I've learned that I have not so much plot as to jot down the direction the story needs to go. Otherwise, I have too many 'aha' moments that get the story all screwy.
And the monster in Guatamala is one of the settings Christina Dodd had for her first ms under the bed. It included multiple locations, external conflicts and obstacles.
Janga darlin', I'm sooo happy you saw this one to the end AND got it entered into a contest. Tiny steps for those dust mites, right?
Janga - I'm marking my calendar. And thinking of giving myself some sort of deadline. Hmmmm...must mull over.
JK - This is from Christina's website from an old blog.
I get letters asking — who are Bernadette and Roberto?
They’re the hero and heroine of my very first, never-published and never-to-be-published novel, ETERNAL SPRING. It took me six years to write that book. It had dramatic unveilings and volcanoes and an earthquake and a smallpox epidemic and a Spanish landowning hero tortured by the inequities of the Colonial system.
It was truly awful.
Oh, and did I mention it was set in Guatemala?
Monster revealed. :)
Yup, Terri - that's the one! I still think it has potential, lol.
2nd - great drink name. You really have a gift for that. What with a little rum (coconut infused), passion fruit nector and oj. What can I say I'm a girlie drink type of gal.
(and I still love my first, too. Heck, if the big names can pull 'em out from under the bed in a pinch - why not me, too.
Whoops! Santa and I posted at the same time. LOL! Of course that has potential. Think of the conflicts!
I love the little umbrellas Chance puts in the drinks. They're black with the little skull-n-crossbones. Very piratey.
It's funny that I'm at the point where I'd be happy to have something finished to PUT under the bed. LOL!
Santa - ahh, more of a revisionist than a writer. Yes, that would be me as well. People are always amazed at how fast I can kick out a first draft. But I've realized it takes me twice as long to revise as it does to write the damn thing in the first place. *sigh* One more round of revisions, then I'm figuring out where I left my balls and sending it to agents.
San, I neglected to say that this is a great blog.
Deanna Raybourn is another example of perseverance. She wrote for fourteen years before she had her first book accepted. And how long did Anna Campbell say she wrote before publication? But there are also those whose first book is published. The lesson I take from all these stories is to maintain hope and persevere. :)
I recently had the epiphane that in all my years of writing papers for school, my favorite part was once the paper was finished and I could go in and revise. I'm hoping this carries into novel writing and revising is my favorite part. Fingers crossed!
Hal - Maybe they're under the bed. ;)
Ter - THAT's where I left them! LMAO! They're being eaten by the dust bunnies. I better hurry up *g*
Although I just finished my first manuscript, there are a number of monsters locked away in my computer. Not under bed because that's were I keep my dearly beloved romance novel collection and really the two should not mingle. I call this one my "first" because it is the first one worth reading, although I'm sure it could still use more revisions:)
Thanks for alerting the RWA NYC loop to your blog post today:)
Great blog, San!
um, no monster under my bed. Maybe a groody green fingernail. LOL
Thanks for popping by, Sarah. My first chapter mate! I also have drabbles on my hard drive. I'm rather fond of them. There are a couple that I'd love to grow into manuscripts one day.
I gotta buzz again. It's time for the Tuesday shuffle - brace doc, violin, dinner and hip hop. Not for me, thank you. It's Baby Girl's day to run around...I just provide the wheels.
I'll be back later. I'm going to see if I can access this via my Crackberry. Wouldn't that be cool!
Gross Kim. Remind me never too look underneath your bed. LOL
Hi Santa,
Very cute! I too have been struggling with some showing vs telling issues. But my monster (it's not a monster; I really do love my WIP) is not under the bed but sitting right in front of my computer, waiting for me to get home tonight and edit away! Maybe you should leave yours under that bed for now, keeping the dust bunnies company. Some day, you may want to take another look at it.
Best,
Lis Eng
Sadly, my monster is hiding under there. He's a big 'un, too. And tenacious. Would definitely give a mule a run for his money. What is my monster? Procrastination. He's hale and hearty and comes out from under that place all the time. Like whenever I settle down to work on my WIP and he whispers in my ear, "don't you have that critique to do for your friend?". OR when I am packing my bag and getting ready to put in my notebook and plotting notes, "you can't carry everything, and those Chapter minutes really need to be reviewed!". He's oh, so cagey. Even in my sleep - when I close my eyes and drift off running through character traits, in his slips, like a veritable dreamweaver, whispering "focus on all those chores you've never finished, all those bills you haven't paid, that diet you gave up on, and what about that guy in HS that you were so mean to?"
So, you see, whereas your monster has withered away - mine has remained quite in-shape. Mostly because of all the wrestling we do!
Hi Santa
I looked in this morning and found the deck bare!
Is this a guest blog or are you now a regular pirate?
I'm always fascinated by the way that the wires on my ipod always tie themselves in knots when I place it in my pocket. Same thing with stories. If you leave too many loose ends or have too many edits then you end up with dust bunnies.....killers if Sin keeps them as pets! :lol:
I have lots of theories 'under my bed' but I call it an archive. I never truly let go of them, and always think that changing the odd variable here or there may resurrect them.
I believe that both Einstein and Dirac tended to equate mathematical beauty with truth, despite what God, through experimental measurement, proclaimed. Experimenters have been known to make mistakes! *grin*
If I had lots of book manuscripts I'm sure that I would be the same, and would re-read them over a glass of scotch on a cold winter evening, wondering why the world couldn't see the elegance of my plot, and wondering if adjusting a character here and there might not make it more acceptable.
Still, In practise I find that God and Experimenters are usually right so perhaps I should let some of them go!
Hi Santa,
My "dead soldiers" live in a file cabinet drawer. It's like a litle graveyard. One or two I may resurrect. As for the Nether World 'neath my bed, that's my home storage unit. No room for monsters or the like.
Hurry, someone bottle Lis Eng's enthusiasm!
Lise - Welcome to Procrastinator's Central. You have many sisters here.
Q - Santa is now officially pat of the crew. She'll be bringing us her wit and wisdom on writing the first Tuesday of every month!
Hope - Welcome to the ship! I'm picturing little rows of tombstones a la Arlington. Very sad. How long did it take for you to get that CALL?
Q, does this mean if I got to keep you as a pet, I'd turn you into a killer as well?
I'm the head procrastinator 'round here. *waving*
Sin!
You gotta catch me first and I wouldn't take kindly to being kept UNDER the bed! :lol:
Ooh, you naughty naughty Englishman. ;)
This is quickly going down hill.
LOL!
Same dance, different day.
Like the crows nest, under the bed has its fans...
Terri, I think you should get a better quality of once-a-month-posters.
The one you have today totally such offal. I don't know why the pirates have stooped to such low levels.
Just sayin'
Just provoking ...
J
J shouldn't get tipsy before posting.
But your once a monther still sucks (ha) more than me.
totally SUCKS oaffal.
JP, you be nice. Santa did awesome today!! :)
J - Step away from the wine, hon. You know San is going to kick your tookus when she sees you. Or just spank you on here when you put up your first blog in a couple weeks. ;)
Hello dear friends! I'm so glad to see my RWA-NYC chapter mates here Sarah, Lise, Lis (I know it can be confusing) and Hope! I'm one for not letting go of anything completely, so I very well may revisit it again. Did I mention it was part of a three book series centered around three female chefs? So now I have to re-work a bit of each story in my head to make it more like three stand alone books. It never ends, friends. It never ends.
Q, delighted as always to see you here. Pour a scotch for me. Neat, if you please. I do like your idea of an archive.
And I have to agree with 2nd - under the bed does have it merits. It all depends on how you roll - both literally and figuratively. ;)
Kim, darlin', there are some things left under beds that should never be mentioned or imagined. I'll have to wash out my mind's eye on that one.
And J, remember what I wrote at the top of this post. I never let go of things completely. Add to that the fact that I remember everything. Everything. So, keep one eye opened the next time we meet. One eye.
I have one that I absolutely love and need to sweep off those dust bunnies. I had the same problem, losing the story somewhere and how. But this time, I vow to let my voice scream loud and proud and use the advice that helps my story not make it into some one else's.
I'll check back later as I won't be going to bed for hours.
I just wanted to say thanks for pulling me aboard here.
Terri, as always, you've done a great job getting this posted even though I got it to you at *mumble, mumble, mumble* in the morning. All the spot on pictures come from her fertile mind and collection o'stuff.
You guys ROCK!
Google is my friend. :)
Well, ya got one then! Just kidding. I seem to be feeling snarky today...must be all the sun.
*ducking from thrown rum bottles, then collecting them for the cash at the recyclers...
How do I befriend Google? ;)
Hi Mageela.(squee another chapter mate!) Find your true voice. Ultimately, editors and agents are looking for that strong voice that makes a story stand out.
Chance - You have to be real nice to him and buy him pretty things. Stroke the ego is always the way, hon.
Shut up, J.
Oh, just the ego?
Terri, you CAN'T say that expect me to remain silent.
You just can't.
Santa, bring it.
Marnee, but harassing Santa is one of my most favorite things to do. You should see us at RWA Nationals.
GREAT blog, Santa! I'm sorry I wasn't here to comment yesterday! I have lots of dust bunnies of this nature...this definitely falls into the whole "As a Writer, you have to TRUST yourself first before you trust anyone else" rule. And a lot of us forget that when we're seeking approval for our bunnies.
How true, Hellion. How true.
Santa,
What a wonderful way to put it. My very first attempt at a novel was just this sort of beast, and shall never see the light of day. Let's just say it was 1,000 some pages, unfinished, with 10 notebooks full of 'alternate endings' and a great deal of inventive words. It couldn't see daylight if it wanted to, I burned all but a few pages in a great, cathardic bonfire. :)
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