Resurrecting a Shelved Manuscript: Good Idea or Waste of Time?
By Kim Bullock | October 22, 2018 |
Flickr Creative Commons: Alan Cleaver
I had grand plans for my next historical manuscript. The idea was solid, the plot outlined, and an experimental first chapter written. I’ve read that chapter twice now. The voice is compelling, the writing a level or two above ‘crappy first draft’ and it is still a story I want to write.
Just not now.
Getting this story down will require me to willingly break my own heart on a daily basis for over a year; it’s already broken each time I pull up the day’s headlines or log into social media. The parallels between the manuscript’s era and today are clear. An argument could be made that now is exactly the time for such a novel, but this writer knows her own mind enough to understand that reality must be a shade or two brighter before she can mentally take that risk.
Had I not vacationed in Maine this past summer, I would never have considered opening a manuscript I wrote and promptly abandoned back in 2004. While driving on the familiar roads of my youth, I made a passing comment that this story, which was in some ways a ‘you have no further power over me’ letter to my old home town, would be much richer if I were writing it today.
I still would never have considered opening the document had Ruth, the cantankerous grandmother from the story, not invaded my dreams and (colorfully) reminded me that my perspective on the minefield of mother/teenage daughter relationships is now immediate, not speculative. Since this is a major theme of the book, I had best get cracking while I have captive beta readers who will roll their eyes if Mama gets something wrong.
I tried arguing with Ruth, a futile concept if there ever was one. I write historicals now, I said. It’s all women’s fiction, she countered. It’s bound to be dated, I said. She laughed. You’ve been in those mountains recently, Dimwit. Add some damn cell phones if it makes you feel better. Nothing else has changed.
She had a point, so I read. I read until 2:00 AM. Several times I had a grand idea about how I’d handle a plot point, only to find out the same thought had occurred to me fourteen years ago. I even cried once.
There were issues, of course.
- I started in the wrong place with way too much backstory.
- Sometimes dated references drifted into dated tangents.
- Character arcs needed tightening.
- The mother needed to quit whining about her mother-in-law and surroundings.
- The daughter needed to reveal her secret in layers rather than coughing it up too early.
- The grandmother needed to show a chink in her armor earlier.
- The daughter’s (unconventional) love interest is, well, someone I wish I could pull out of the manuscript and present as a gift to my own child. In short, even his flaws are perfect.
Six months ago I would have said that seriously re-examining an old manuscript was a waste of time, but my answers to the following questions have made me reconsider. If you are on the fence about one of your own manuscripts, perhaps they will help you, too.
Why did I shelve the manuscript in the first place? Did a hundred agents send form-letter rejections? Was there no plot? Did the characters blend together or seem otherwise one-dimensional? Was the story not plausible or cliche? Did I write for a trend that fizzled out by the time the manuscript was ready to submit?
Has something in my life or circumstances changed in a way that will lend a new perspective to an old story? Will this new perspective be compelling enough to warrant spending the next six months to a year working on this story again? If it had been queried widely, will there be a big enough change to justify approaching some of the same agents again?
Is the story timely in a way it wasn’t when originally written? Did it feature an event that had happened “too soon” before you wrote it, but would be fine in novels now? (Such as 9/11.)
If you have sold books in one genre and this is in another, will that hurt your chance of selling it? If you have an agent, will the agent consider a story that is vastly different?
What are your reasons for looking back rather than forward? Is the old story tugging at you, or are you out of ideas and simply need something to work on? Are you anxious to get lost in research (or avoid it) and this book will allow you to fulfill that wish?
Will you regret having spent the time with this story again if it should fail to sell or sell badly?
Over to you. Have you ever resurrected a manuscript you had long considered to be dead? Did that go well? Do you have any sitting on your hard drive you might look at again someday? What would prompt you to do it? Or, conversely, why would you never consider doing so?
[coffee]
Kim (she/her) has an M.A. in English from Iowa State University. She writes mainly historical fiction, though has also contributed non-fiction articles to historical and Arts and Crafts publications in both the United States and Canada. She has just finished The Oak Lovers, a novel based on the rather colorful life of her great-grandfather, landscape painter Carl Ahrens.
My debut novel Me Again came out of a short story I had started but gave up on, because I had no idea where it was going. After leaving it “in the drawer” for a couple of years, I happened to re-read it with fresh eyes, and I started falling in love with it.
So if nothing else, that taught me to NEVER delete drafts that I give up on. It might not be that the story itself isn’t viable; I just might not be ready to write it yet.
Hi Keith,
I always keep old drafts of everything, even those things that I know are cringe-worthy and should never see the light of day. When I originally wrote this novel, my oldest daughter was a baby. I could imagine the mother/teenage daughter dynamic, but more from the daughter side still. Perspectives have changed now that I know all-too-well what it is like to watch a child struggle while trying (with varying degrees of success) to deal with your own issues. I’ve made peace with a lot of ghosts since then, too.
Interestingly, I originally wrote this novel in order to practice writing from the point of view of an artist, to prepare for writing the novel I’ve now finished. It could be that having written that one has helped me to see the old manuscript with fresh eyes, too.
I have been resistant to this idea for months now, and fighting it has just made everything feel so heavy. Glad to hear that your experience with looking back worked out for you.
Hey Kim – Makes sense to me. In a way, my entire journey over the past seven years and three manuscripts has all been about getting back to a “shelved” manuscript.
I clearly understand now that I just wasn’t a good enough writer to take on a story as complex as the one that formed my first sprawling trilogy. I can only hope that I’m up to the task when I get back there (which should happen relatively soon now, in the greater scheme of things).
Yours sounds wonderfully full of potential. Listen to Ruth! Best wishes with it. Looking forward to reading.
Hi Vaughn,
I knew you’d understand this.
My biggest hesitation is that it isn’t a historical, and over all I am definitely more drawn to writing stories from the past, so turning to a contemporary story seems like a big risk in terms of platform. I am still firmly in the realm of women’s fiction, though, so I’m probably overthinking things.
Good luck with getting back to your first trilogy. You aren’t the same writer you were when you started that before. I have every faith you can tell the tale as it was meant to be told now. :-)
This is so timely for me, Kim, as yesterday I started opening files that relate to one of my two other manuscripts that I have not worked on in years. It’s like sitting down with an old friend, the allure is there. And my computer is so loaded with these files–can I ever sort it all through, discover how to proceed, my list reflecting yours in so many ways. But I know it’s inevitable that I will go there, the characters still speak to me. Isn’t that what writing is about?
So glad this resonated with you, Beth. I’ve been relieved I didn’t get dozens of comments today telling me to just not go there!
Hi Kim,
I’m a writer of historical novels and, like Vaughn, had to shelve my first idea for a series because I simply couldn’t pull it off- didn’t know enough yet. I’ve since drafted two stand-alones set in the Civil War, and I’m starting on drafting a third to help hedge against losing my sanity when I go to query again.
I know of writers who shelve their earliest books and never go back, but I’ve never felt that way about ANY of my manuscripts. I always feel that I’m putting them away for now, but I’ll be BACK. After I learn more, get a different perspective, have more skills. Or at least fresh eyes for seeing the flaws and the potential. I vote for letting Ruth talk you back into writing that story.
And if the story is sound, why not consider a historical setting for it? The one I’m about to query is a mother/daughter story set around the siege of Vicksburg — and the daughter is just as cheeky and certain she knows more than the mother as any kid is now. Some things never change!
Best of luck with it,
Jodi
Hi Jodi,
Unfortunately, this is not a story that would work in a historical setting. It worked fine set in 2004. With some minor tweaks, it will work set in 2018. If I tried to make it 1918, major plot points would not work. Planes, cars, and cell phones are all necessary.
I love your attitude that you will always come back to something later. Until recently, I never would have considered this. At first it was Maine talking to me, that place that left me feeling so conflicted for the past three decades. Then Ruth attempted to verbally slap some sense into me…she’s good at that.
The historical that I still intend to write at some point is set just before the Civil War, so that time period holds some fascination for me.
Hi Kim, This is so timely, as just yesterday I began opening old files that pertain to one of the two manuscripts I have not read in years. I was immediately pulled in, thinking YES, I still love these characters and YES, there is some good work here. So I think, even though I will have a list like yours, that it is inevitable–I’ll be sitting down with this story again and finding my way back to its themes and ideas, its place and characters. Thanks.
I’m feeling so much better about this after hearing all this reassurance that I’m not crazy to even consider it. Thank you, Beth!
Go for it, Kim. If the story still strikes a chord and you FEEL it, run with your gut. Instinct is king.
Yours,
Dee
Award-winning author of A Keeper’s Truth
Thank you, Denise!
Hi Kim,
Don’t pronounce anything you wrote dead if it has so much as a single plot point. Instead, assume acute and/or chronic firstdraftitis, and vigorously apply rewriting therapy. In your own time of course.
Bet ya’ the patient fully recovers.
Bob
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Bob!
Kim, listen to those inner voices. (Unless they are telling you to put mayo on a peanut butter sandwich.) I left a half-done novel to slumber for a couple of years, waltzed with it again only to leave it years yet on the dance floor, and then took it up more seriously last year and self-pubbed it this year.
Though the only sound it’s made in the marketplace is an inaudible squeak, I am happy with the work, and glad I decided to see it through.
Thanks for the encouragement, Tom!
Still shuddering over the mayo on a peanut butter sandwich image. There are few things in the world I loathe more than mayo!
Hi Kim–How interesting that you are thinking of reviving a story just now. I’m seriously contemplating putting a novel draft away for the foreseeable future. I still love the story and the characters, but I’m feeling that everything’s gotten a bit stale. I’ve been working on this one for ages, through lots of ups and downs. I’m also wondering if this story is still a bit beyond me/beyond my skill level for now. Maybe, but maybe I’ve just been staring at the trees for so long I need to back up and let the forest come back into focus.
I really, really hate not finishing right now, but I’m pretty sure my gut is telling me to create space for some fresh material, some new ideas and voices. I know the value of stepping away for a few days, or even a few weeks. What would happen if I stepped away for even longer?
I’m encouraged by your experience (and everyone else’s here) with coming back to a work and finding there’s still life in it. As much as I don’t want to abandon the current novel, perhaps finding the courage to *really* walk away from it (for now) will serve me and the story well in the long run.
Meanwhile, here’s hoping your characters keep talking to you. (Ruth certainly sounds vivid and vocal!) I wish you well with the exploration!
Ruth is a force to be reckoned with – a grandma who can heft 50 pound grain sacks like they weigh nothing and doesn’t hesitate to tell you exactly what she thinks.
Sounds like a break may be just what you need. The comments on this post have made it clear that just because a WIP has been set aside does not have to mean it is totally dead. Here’s hoping some distance helps you see things clearly again.
I really enjoyed reading this, it made me realise I can go back to old drafts written long ago and see, really see how much I have grown. I had dreams of writing novels and took many classes only to find too much information sent me off the path. I lost confidence in just writing. I recently felt the urge to go back to my old stories and found a rough draft of a scene I wrote and realised this is where the story should start. Shelving old manuscripts is good it helps you to see so much more when you return. Thank you so much.
I’m glad you found this helpful, Kath. It is definitely fun to see how much we grow in our craft over the years. What shocked me is the number of times I said to myself “I know where I could take this” only to find out I had already done so.
I’ve got a checkered past with this topic. :) I recently put away a ms that I had resurrected this summer. I loved the story, I still do, but it had a major flaw that will require a complete rewrite and given a few things editor-wise I decided I’m not willing to give it a shot right now.
So back into the Someday folder it went.
While I was in that folder, I pulled another one out. This one, too, needs a rewrite. But I’m fired up to do this one. For one, and this is probably big, there’s no editor issue hanging over this one. And the core story does not need to change. Really, I just had a couple small realizations and they cracked it wide open for me. Sometimes, the gift of time and emotional distance is enough.
Overall, I’ve yet to finish a complete rewrite of a resurrected ms (vs a heavy, heavy edit). I’m hoping I can do it this time.
Best of luck with yours. I hope you listen to Ruth. She sounds like she knows what’s what. :)
This one will certainly be a rewrite for me. It started in the wrong place – that I could see right away. I’ll be able to cut about 15K words without batting an eye.
Good luck with your project. You are absolutely right about time and distance.
Hi Kim,
Nice post! I’ve only recently decided to shelve one of the first books I ever wrote. I spent about eight years trying to make it work (and processing and re-processing all the things in it that I needed to sort through personally), but recently realized that because of how close I was to it, how little I knew about editing, and several other factors, I was only ever making it worse. I’ve learned a ton about editing since then (and written several other books along the way), so I’m finally happy to let it lie for now. As to when I’ll pick it up again, I feel the timing in my life hasn’t been right yet, but when it’s ready to come back, I’ll know. I know that sounds a little vague, I guess, but I’m also absolutely sure I’ll know it when it’s time, so take that for what you will. Thanks for sharing!