Life is a never ending lesson in humility AKA "BALL BUSTIN".

I spent the last six weeks of my life working like a mad fool doing a project that I wasn’t crazy about. At the beginning of September – Heather’s conference, to be exact – I asked all of my friends (old and new!!) about whether or not I should go against the grain and totally remake a story that I already loved. BUT. Despite a lot of close almosts, it never sold. So. Total remake?  Or continue trying to find a home?

I went against all my intuition and remade the book.

At the end of six weeks of no fun, all work, all writing all the time ( I have a small touch of OCD, lol) I turned my project into my agent, who is also sort of a friend. Thank God

She called me up. Asked me if I had any fun writing the new book.

Fun?

She said my manuscript was technically perfect. But my voice was gone – the FUN – was gone.  I thought I was going to die of mortification, or I might have, if it hadn't gone out of style back in the 20's

Anyway, I’ve already shared this with my great Florida Romance Writer friends, but other than that, I’ve kept quiet.  Mostly because after seven books which have all gotten great reviews etc. I suddenly felt like I didn’t know how to write.

I’d failed. Which, a week later, remains true – I’d  written a ‘technically perfect’ paranormal romance. But it wasn’t GREAT (which in this market means unsellable!!) because I wasn’t into it.

The moral of the story being, again, forgive me FRWers for repeating, that our voice is what turns the words on paper into magic, and if we aren’t true to that inner nag, lolol, the magic won’t be there.

You can write a structurally correct novel, and it can still lack what it needs to sell.

Write, everyone, write – and read.  Fill the well.

I have been inhaling books – Pride, prejudice and zombies –loved it – the devil’s kiss – faerie wars – the graveyard book – and up next is the demon king.   For the most part it is sheer heaven to sink into someone else’s well created world!!!! 

Happy Wednesday,

Traci