Thursday, December 9, 2010
When Is a Turkey Not a Turkey?
We’ve all been there, slogging away on something and deciding this thing is dead in the water, overdone, dry, tasteless…it is a total turkey. Nothing we can do to bring it back to life, in fact, it’s time to bury this attempt at a story and never look at it again.
No amount of gravy, no matter how delicious, is going to work.
Cranberries?
Give it up. Not going to happen.
I’ve seen this. Sometime, a year or so ago, I tried my hand at a first person POV, slightly erotic romance featuring humanoid worlds where an alien race operates a sort of benign trading businesses. They don’t trade in high technology and these are lower technology worlds. I’d liken them to, oh…maybe the early 1800s. The aliens themselves are more humanoid than not.
They specialize in testing and training those who desire it, putting them under limited contractual obligation and sending them anywhere they are needed. All sorts of contracts and training.
Hee, hee.
They aren’t slavers and they force no one.
Nice little set up. I threw in an orphaned young woman with nothing to trade but herself in order to save a beloved little sister from a life in a very nasty brothel on a very nasty world. And so she walked to the spaceport and offered herself. And was accepted. (Her beloved little sister would be taken to a better world and given a sweet life. She was only six.)
The story takes up years later, at the end of her contract as a high court slut, when her present employer tries to keep her past the contract. I moved forward with the story, hooked her up with a ship’s captain (ocean ship) (of course, this is a story I wrote, remember?) had them both being chased. This captain has a secret involving the aliens…really, I had a nice story going…and it just stopped dead.
I wasn’t sure about the first person POV lasting through an entire full length book and really wasn’t sure about the idea of a short.
So, I put it away. Until last week. The story is now finished and in the hands of my agent. (What’s funny? The little sister is named Sari. I wrote this story before I met my agent, whose name is Saritza, or Sari for short) (Total coinkidink!) This story may very well end up my second sale.
You just never know with something you think is dead. When is a turkey not a turkey? Well, when it’s a cake!
Why did I stop this story and give up on it? Well, I didn’t see it lasting. It wasn’t meaty enough. But it was sweet…it had layers and was a bit sticky…
This turkey…is it a cake? Wow! It’s a cake!
My friend, Barb Reilly, made this cake for her daughter’s9th birthday, which fell on Thanksgiving this year. She posted a pic of it on Facebook and I was charmed, asked for her permission to use the pictures for a future blog.
It’s all cake, folks.
She sent me the details… It’s a German Chocolate Cake, yellow cake stuffing, fondant lettuce, spice and cranberries, rice crispy wings and thighs covered with fondant, German chocolate frosting (pecan and coconut)
So, you just never know about those turkeys!
Have you ever tossed something away only to revisit it later and find more there than you thought? Or maybe just something different than you supposed? And who is with me on hiring Barb to make us a pirate ship cake?
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32 comments:
Hey, look it's my cake! :D
Mau, that is SO awesome that you have another manuscript ready! You go girl!
And, I'd LOVE to make a pirate ship. But how to ship from Ohio to Cali. Hmmm... ;)
That's amazing! Once again my paltry baking skills have been mocked soundly by those of greater skill.
I'm in awe of the way she painted the details. It's a masterpiece.
I used to set things aside like you described, thinking it wasn't any good, and then I'd pick it up later and be very pleasantly surprised. Now I rarely do that, since I feel like I know what I need to do to fix things. Maybe it needs more conflict, higher stakes, etc.
So whenever I think something is a turkey, I just let it sit until I have a better ability to judge my work. LOL Snap judgments aren't always the best.
That is a very creative cake--I almost hate to see those things get eaten. LOL
That cake's adorable. :)
I have started a few things and set them aside. Mostly because I knew something was missing and I wasn't sure what it was or if I was advanced enough to fix it.
My first MS, for example. I would imagine that in the near future I could go back and rethink that one. It's a witch regency but a few things no good. The hero? Eh. Now, I'm not really a fan of him. Sort of a stick up his arse kinda guy. And he makes some less than heroic kinds of decisions. Mostly, he ended up as the straight man to my more eccentric witches. Needs to be fixed.
The mystery in it needs to probably be more mysterious. It was a bit predictable, I'd imagine and could use an infusion of fresh.
But I think the idea of a witch PI is kind of interesting. I wonder if in the future I could move it into the Victorian era, when women were becoming a bit more independent, and switch up the mystery. Try to find something a little more interesting to add to the historical/paranormal genre.
Right now, I'm busy with something else, but I could see a return, someday.
I also started something in the winter that I think would be fun if I went back to it. A biological weapon gone awry. Might be fun to rethink, maybe even later for a sort of steampunk storyline. I like the paranormal/magical stuff, I'm just not sure I'm ready with the right idea for it yet.
I never would have known that was cake. Huh.
Fingers crossed this one sells! (Though I really have no doubt. *g*)
I wrote this sort erotic romance almost three years ago and I've tried more than once to do something with it, but so far, every effort falls flat. Which I hate because I really love that story. Maybe I'll take a run at it again in 2011.
I've used old drabbles from the EJ BB for WW stories, but oddly enough, the one that was brand new is the one that sold. I think maybe I'll stick with the brand new stuff for that area.
Donna - I know I was pleasantly surprised to realize what I thought was just not enough ended up just right.
Maybe the turkeydom is more about what you've lost enthusiasm for and belief in. But challenged to see if something can be revived...we find we really can do it.
Which begs the question...are the stories the turkeys, or is it us?
Marnee - Yeah, isn't that cake amazing? She posted the pic and I just kept looking at it, trying to figure out who that possibly could really be a cake.
I love some of the twisty things you've got sitting around. It's like you know what is missing, the seasoning that would bring those stories back to life... How to fix the hero. And the idea of a witch PI is cool.
Or the biological weapon gone awry! How about a group of witch PIs searching out the villains who set lose a biological weapon?
(That's me...caserole!) ;-)
Bo'sun, it's like your chef and marketing maven, I can see it working. When you feel ready to get back into the kitchen, deconstruct it and see what can be done with these ingredients to make it new!
Same with your nice little hot piece. Some things need more, some things need less.
But I like to think everything can be saved.
That's a cake? Hilarious! And awesome analogy, Chance.
I had something similar happen recently, and it was a very nice feeling. I'd gotten about 150 pages into a new WIP. It was my first try at first person. It was a character I loved, but it just wasn't coming together. I finally gave up, pushed it away, and went back to revisions on the MS I'm working on now. A couple weeks ago, though, I opened it and read through it -- it wasn't that bad! I mean, there were issues, but I could see them now. I had been trying really, really hard to convey Josephine's emotions, and thought I hadn't been doing it at all, and realized during the re-read that I was simply trying *too* hard. It came through, and then I beat it to death. I just had to back off a bit, and the voice and emotions came through the first person just fine. Whew! Cause I was really starting to think I'd lost any ability to write at all. lol.
That cake is a marvel!
And Happy Belated Birthday, Chance. I'm sorry I missed the celebration, but I hope you had a wonderful day and that this next year will be a spectaularly good one for you.
I've certainly written my share of turkeys. I don't know that any of them can be turned into cake though. I do have some beginnings that I may be able to finish . To stay with the food metaphor, they are like biscuits that I took out of the oven too soon. The basic ingredients are there, and the shape is right. But they are doughy in the middle and lack the golden brown color that says they've cooked to perfection.
Hal - interesting that your challenge came with the first person voice thing, also. I began The Ship's Mistress in first person on a whim, to see how it would sound. And I really liked the premise...
Perhaps it was just that it was outside my comfort zone and that was why I set it aside without much regret.
And I so agree, it's harder to convey emotions in first person, it so much relies on that person's voice!
I can see myself doing more, but also in the short genre with it. I'm not sure I could sustain it through the long haul. It's as if it's too personal, and exhausting to be there that long...
Yes, first person for a whole novel is *hard.* Like, insanely harder than I expected (says the woman who only made it 150 pages in *g*). I'll probably have to change this one back to 3rd person, because I need other POVs for the thriller side of the plot, but it has helped me really get a handle on the character, so it's been a great exercise, even if I don't stick to it in the end.
Thank you, Janga!
I wonder, what could one do with a not quite done biscuit? Cut it open and toss it in a hot skillet with some bacon grease...serve with scrambled eggs!
I saw a woman on the Food Network take running mashed potatoes, layer them in a caserole, adding layers of breadcrumbs and cheese and turned out something the judges raved about. It's like if you never say die with food, you can save it!
And maybe that can work with MS, too?
I was chatting with the DH about the first person thing, said how this is so new for me. And he popped off with a reminder that my first books were written mixed. And he's right! I'd all but forgotten how I would insert first person POV journal entries into A Caribbean Spell.
Writing a whole book in first person would have been a royal pain, but I did toy with that odd mutt at first.
I think an entire book in first person POV would leave me threatening to jump from the yardarm at the limitations. I can admire those who do it and make it look effortless!
Like Barb and her cake!
The first picture is the cake too? Wow. I was really slow putting that together. LOL It's great!
I can't seem NOT to revisit old stories, which may or may not be a smart move. I just can't see letting nearly fully thought out novels go. But I do think there's a lot said (and has been said) about time giving perspective. The next new thing I do will be short stories so hopefully my slow progress for revisiting will get some balance of finishing.
Some great ideas are just better suited to short pieces. That was the conclusion I came up with this last week. I've had a lot of ideas just peter away and realize that I've read novels that should have been shorts...so why not write some shorts?
Not saying shorts are easy, or the short writers out there will shoot me down, but sometimes an idea only has so much to say!
And it's a lot easier to revise a short!
I'm glad to find out that was a cake. I thought something looked interesting about it...
I've been working on the same thing for ::coughcoughyearscoughcough:: now so I haven't really set anything aside but I look forward to the day! Time can be a really, really great thing. The turkey is such a good analogy to the process.
Hal, have you ever changed something from one POV to another mid-story? I always imagined it would be a bi... to change everything! You are brave, very brave.
Stephanie - Yeah, when Barb first posted it I was flabbergasted! She sure has an eye for detail!
I know it's recommended to take a stalled work and shift POV just as an exercise to see if one can kick start the progress...but to redo an entire MS would be daunting!
I eventually dove into A Caribbean Spell, and made all the first person journal entries into deep third POV, and it was a bitch. But the story holds together better!
You gonna be in NYC?
Things be moving slow...good time to head out, walk the dog and head for my workspace at Starbucks. Back in a bit, crew!
Add me to the slow on the uptake list today. I didn't realize the first pic was cake too either. LOL! Wow, that is amazing.
I agree that some stories are just better as short stories. That's probably why I like them so much, because you don't need quite the level of conflict that you need to carry a story for 400 pages. I can do a meet cute in less than 1000 words and wind up with an implied HEA. And I have a sense of accomplishment. I so need that sense of accomplishment. LOL!
Steph - I originally wrote this in 3rd, then changed it to 1st, and am now pretty sure I'll change it back. It does seem like a huge PITA. But I've also realize that my 1st person is pretty deep pov, and so it's really more just changing "I" to "she", and not much worse than doing standard revisions. Tedious, but not bang-your-head-on-the-desk bad *g*
Bo'sun! Yeah, it's amazing, ain't it! I got to go nag Barb to check in and see how she's fooling everyone!
I have always liked the idea of short, but my standard word count for a short always ends up aroumd 3k...not long enough to submit, but too long for magazines, etc. But what I'm finding is it isn't difficult to plump a 3k, even double it's size and make it work out!
Hal - Whole lot of work there, but I bet you learned a ton and half skillwise!
Hal - oh thank goodness we won't be taking you to the ER for a concussion. :)
Hello! I actually posted at 6:30am EST, but it didn't appear to take! :( Sorry, I swear I was here! ;)
Mau, great job on the new/old manuscript!!
Thanks everyone for the good cake comments! I'm "on board" making a pirate cake, but I'm not sure how I'd "ship" it from Ohio to Cali! Heh!
I really need to find a place online (perhaps my website?) to post a few of my cake photos. I think I have an album on FB, though!
BTW - I'm going to Richelle Mead's signing in Cincy tonight, Nikki P is going, too! I'm so excited! :D Next, is Kim Harrison in Feb! Woop woop!
And I think I have a serious problem with exclamation points today!
Do you know, our local public school teaches it as an "excitement point"?!
Interesting!
:) !!!
Sorry, it was lost, Riley!
I'd love to see more of the cakes you've made. I think it's fascinating!
Well, that makes it a bit more self-explanatory!
Hmmm...when you're at the Harrison signing, find out if there is a market for her first three books, ARCS. Yes, I have the first three in ARCS and would love to sell them...
Well, seems like an early demise for this blog. I'm off to see to the dog again...but will check back in later for any lagers!
Hey pirates -- back from my first day working at Borders. It was mostly training at first, but then we got to help on the sales floor. I had a great time. I really like the folks I worked with today, and it was awesome to see how many people were coming in to buy books!
Selling books was the best retail experience I ever had, Donnaroo. And it helps now that Oprah's booklist is available on line, instead of looking for that "...white book with the red heart on the cover. Oh, and I think love was in the title?"
It was the best times, it was the worst of times.
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