This past week, I handed the outline of a story over to a friend of mine. I wanted to know what she thought of the general plot and the main characters. She looked at it, and decided that it was basically the same story everyone and his second cousin has already written. To prove her point, and a have good laugh at me, she handed it to some mutual friends who were nearby. They agreed with her.
I scowled, retrieved my notes, and resisted the temptation to do something childish. She told me to stick with my other WIP. (She thinks I need to commit. I say, until I get that WIP back from my Alpha reader, I think I'm free to explore other ideas. The MS and I are allowed to see other people.) Searching for some positive feedback -- I really don't want to let this story go -- I passed the notes on to another writer I know.
Her notes were rather positive. She liked the characters. As for the plot, she whispered (she doesn't want anyone to know she really thinks this) that sometimes originality is over-rated. Not everything has to be unique and groundbreaking. Personally, I concur. While I will do my best to avoid any form of literary cliche, some things are classic a reason.
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It's so tough to keep a positive mental attitude as a writer. There's so much rejection everywhere you turn. Keep up the hard work. And I think most themes have already been done, they just have a different twist. Keep your chin up and don't give up!
ReplyDeleteI once handed one of my manuscripts to my BF and if was returned with nothing good to say. I think if someone's not a writer, reading from something other than a bound book gives a cheap patina to the work. That's my story and i'm sticking to it. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think it boils down to HOW you tell the story, not the story you're telling. Don't ever abandon a plot because it's been done. All my stories have been done, but people rarely say anything about it. It's the "telling of the story" that counts.
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