write what comes naturally at paper graffiti

Just a few posts ago, I talked about how daunting it is to admit that I’m writing my first novel. Apparently, admitting it is the hardest part, because not only am I writing my first novel, I’m also writing my second.

I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month a few times, but I’ve never made it all the way to 50K words at the end of November. However, I have had some ideas that I’ve really enjoyed working with, and I keep all my drafts just in case I get around to finishing them someday.

My 2007 effort was a fun murder mystery centered around a plucky female detective with the Las Vegas PD and her partner. Yeah, I know–those kind of books are a dime a dozen these days. I let my internal editor get the best of me, telling myself it was cheesy, stupid, and cliché. This week I was going through my Google Docs and I pulled up the 4800 word draft that I churned out before giving up. I read it, and lo and behold I LIKED it. I love my heroine. I remembered how fun it was to research and write, and how the characters just created themselves as I wrote. I couldn’t help myself–I told the inner editor to get lost, and I picked it right back up and started churning out more of the plot. Now I have over 1600 more words and I can’t wait to get home and work on it some more. I’ve even thought of the plot for a SEQUEL already!

My other novel is much more serious. It has elements of the fantastic to it, but it’s also very focused on people’s relationships and how their actions affect those relationships. I love the story I have created in my head, and I want to get it all out on paper so I can share it with others. But it’s HARD. For some reason, I’ve written in circles on it. I finally got to a point about a month ago where I felt like I’d solved the problem with my story and could move forward–and I still feel that way. It’s just not coming as easily to me right now as the possibly stupid, cheesy, cliché mystery novel.

You always hear the advice that you should write what you know. I think that’s true–especially in blogging. But if I’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that you should write what comes most naturally to you. I will fight through and finish my first novel; I know it hasn’t always been so difficult to write, and that the mystery novel will probably have me tearing my hair out before it gets completed. But I’m not going to force the issue with the first story when the second is coming so easily out of my head.

Have you ever been derailed in the middle of one project because another project comes along that just feels right? Share your stories in the comments.

Word Counts - Today: 2,026 | May: 3,631 | 2008: 3,631