Holy Crap, I Just Wrote A Novel

Happy Monday, Peeps!

Okay, if you're anything like me, I know what you're thinking - WTF is happy about Monday?

Well, even though I still have to drag my butt out of bed today to go to work, and even though I still have to get some form of dinner on the table when I get home, I'll still be smiling (barring disaster) BECAUSE:

I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY THIRD MANUSCRIPT!

Rock-N-Roll!

My nephew Evan rocks hardcore. It's in the genes.

Those of you who read my Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone post (and thank you, if you did) know that this one was particularly challenging for me. I decided halfway through to make it a romance AND a mind-bender, and I was terrified I'd screw it up.

Of course, it hasn't gone to my betas yet, so there's a good chance I *did* screw it up. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

But even if this ms hadn't been particularly involved, I'm pretty sure I'd still feel the same way about finishing it - The "Holy-Crap-I-Just-Wrote-A-Novel" High.

I've written three manuscripts. By now, it should be nothing new, right?

Except that all three times, it felt like I would never finish.

All three times, the word count seemed to creep up at a snail's pace, until I was sure I didn't have enough plot for a full-length novel.

All three times, I was juggling work and home and family and friends, and telling myself there weren't nearly enough hours in the day to ever get this done.

And all three times, I was dead wrong. Because finishing a manuscript is a huge deal, no matter what your situation, no matter if it's the third or the thirtieth. It's an accomplishment that no one else can take away from you.

It's a high well earned. And whether it sits in a drawer or makes it to the bookshelf, it's still the product of long hours and hard work and love poured into every page - it is something to be proud of.

I'd like to think that if I ever stop feeling the "Holy-Crap-I-Just-Wrote-A-Novel High, then that's when it's time to hang up my writing hat. Because I want to feel this way EVERY SINGLE TIME I write something...

...Right up until the ugly reality of revisions hits home. (Cue buzzkill music)

Have you felt the Holy-Crap-I-Just-Wrote-A-Novel High lately? Do you feel it every time? And most importantly - how do you celebrate?

Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone: AKA, What the Hell am I Doing?

Have any of you ever started a project, got halfway through, and found yourself thinking, what the hell am I doing?


That's where I am right now, peeps.

Most of you know the manuscript that landed my kickass agent was a contemporary romance. It makes perfect sense, considering I'm a romance junkie. I love reading it. I love writing it. If most other genres are coconut milk ice cream - enjoyable enough, a lot better for you, but just not quite as delicious - then a good romance is my ginormous bowl of real, chocolate-fudgey Ben and Jerry's dairy Heaven.

Yes, I really did do a photo shoot with a container of ice
cream. 

So why, I ask, am I attempting to write a psychological thriller right now?

I'll tell you.

When the idea for this manuscript came to me months ago, it was as a paranormal romance/thriller type novel.


I let the idea percolate while I finished LYM, but as time went on, it seemed agents and editors alike had started to regard "paranormal" as a four-letter word. (Click the link for a great post by Tristina Wright)

Then I had the amazing fortune to speak to John and the Other Awesome Offering Agent on the phone. The only not-so-awesome part? They both confirmed my fear that paranormal is getting the cold shoulder in the publishing market right now.

Cue instant, intense panic. And sadness, because I like a good supernatural story.

I'd already started writing SP as a paranormal and had about 20K down. There were no vampires, no werewolves, no shape-shifting unicorns or whatever - just a not-so-dead dead girl. I should be fine, right? It's all those *other* things that are crowding the bandwagon, right? RIGHT?

WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I GOING TO DO??


(And just a side note on bandwagons: if everyone didn't clamor for the same one at the same time, they wouldn't have to abandon ship en masse. Though I suppose that's the nature of a bandwagon. *sigh*)

I had ideas for new contemporary romances, but they were just twinkles in my eye at that point, and I am a sloooow drafter.

Cue copious hyperventilation.

I think it was my CP Dahlia who said, "Well... does SP *have* to be paranormal?" (Not kidding, guys, I associate with geniuses)

That's when it hit me: No it does not! I can morph this puppy into a psychological thriller while still keeping the basic structure of the premise AND all the sweet-n-steamy romance! Wahoo!


The only problem? It was WAY easier to write as a paranormal. Like, way.

Developing a main character people can be sympathetic toward while also questioning whether or not she's completely off her rocker has been daunting, to say the least.

Which is to say: this mc is driving me freaking crazy with all her psychological issues and all her damn "feels," because I'm the one who has to do them justice. My original vision was much more cut-and-dry.

I'm finding that when I sit down to write, I wind up staring at the blinking cursor with my bitch face, like so:

Seriously, SP? You can't write your damn self already?

On the other hand, when I do finally manage to pull off a scene that I've mulled over for hours or even days?

It's freaking awesome.

So while I'm still a bit miffed at paranormal being mean-girled out of the market as punishment for its own popularity, the upside is that it's been an opportunity to challenge myself as a writer. I might be kicking and screaming every step of the way, but I have a feeling I'm going to be seriously proud of myself and this novel when and if I finish it.

Will it be good? No clue.
Will my CP's think I've lost my damn mind? Quite possibly.
Will my agent think it's crap? God I hope not.
Will psychological thrillers replace straight romance as my Ben andJerry's? I highly doubt it


But I tried something new, and that in itself feels pretty good. You know... when it's not making me want to go on a murderous rampage. And if it doesn't work out, I can still rock a contemporary romance like it's my birthday (I hope).

What about you, peeps? Have you ever stepped outside your writing comfort zone? Were you glad you did it? (And what are your thoughts on the current stigma against paranormal?)