I tried NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time this past November. Since I have a full-time job, I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere near the 50,000 word mark. But I did establish a (mostly) daily writing routine, and I did make some serious headway into my next novel. I’ll do some shameless plugging on that front when I’m further along.
I’m excited to be writing again, and I’m excited for the new projects I have underway. And yet, once in a while, my thoughts turn to the book my friends and relatives expect me to write next. The second installment of a series I started but have yet to finish. While I have gotten a good head start on this one too, when I think of finishing it, I feel those expectations weighing heavy on my shoulders. I compare the anxiety of the unfinished book series to the excitement of the book I’m working on now. And from time to time, I can’t help but ask myself, “Is it worth finishing the story? Is this the kind of story people can engage and connect with? Is this the kind of story we need right now?”
A lot of writers ask themselves questions like this from time to time. Writing a book is a lot like dating someone new. In the beginning, it’s an exciting and romantic adventure. But once the novelty of it wears off, you start questioning everything and wondering if the commitment is worth it. What’s true of both books and relationships is that there’s a time to call it quits and a time to keep moving forward. So maybe it’s time for me to ask if I need to call it quits on Tales of Anino.
Why Does This Story Matter?
Among the mistakes I made while writing the first book in the series, the biggest one was that I didn’t give too much thought to why the story mattered to me. Once I’d decided I wanted to write it, I ran to the moon and back with it without pausing to make sure I had enough oxygen. And the crash landing was one hell of a wake-up call.
Since publishing Mabutay’s Lyric, I’ve learned that, regardless of whether you plan ahead or wing it as you go along, you have to ask yourself why this story idea matters to you before you start the writing process. Every writer has different motivations for the projects they work on. Some want to make money or become famous. Some want to teach through their craft or connect with other people. And many others do it simply for the love of the craft itself. Whatever the reason, every writing project must begin with the question, “why does this matter?” Because in many regards, the answer can either motivate you to keep going or help you realize it’s time to give up and start over.
My approach to my current book is quite different from the first one. I spent months in the planning phase before I officially started writing, and I was sure to establish my “why does this matter” pretty early on. And I’ve found that, once I start doubting myself, reminding myself of my primary motivation helps dissipate my doubts enough to keep going.
But when I try to do the same with Tales of Anino, my thoughts get muddled and my doubts are amplified. When I started the series, my goal was to be the next JK Rowling. To write a mind-blowing book series people would get excited to read about and talk about years down the road. Lots of things happened since then (and yes, Rowling outing herself as a “gender critical” transphobe is part of it), and my writing dreams have changed, too. I’ve since accepted that fame and fortune are pretty unlikely with my first published work, and for me they weren’t good enough reasons to start a writing project in the first place.
I keep thinking that if I come up with another reason to continue the story, I’ll be able to do it. But I’ve been struggling on that front. There’s a lot of complicated threads and themes to the story, and for the life of me I can’t figure out the one thing that ties it all together. The one element that could answer all the riddles and help it all make sense for readers. Hell, half the time I have a hard time making sense of it all. So, my struggle to come up with a primary theme leads to failure, and thus I can’t find my “why does this matter” for Tales of Anino.
Much of these threads and themes are story elements I’d love to continue working with. The clashing values and abusive dynamics of the Pardel family. Chloe trying to figure out who she wants to be while the rest of the world projects their expectations onto her. How the political unrest in Mabutay Valley reflects the unrest happening across Anino. But before I can continue work with any of these elements, I have to find the crux of the story. The one element that ties everything together. And as it stands now, I haven’t found it yet.
Know Your Strengths and Limits
Though the primary motivation is crucial, it’s only half the battle. The first stage of writing is getting all the words down onto paper or computer screen. The second stage is editing, and that’s where knowing your craft really counts. To quote a questionably drunk Lindsay Ellis in her critique of the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie, “authorial intent matters, but only insofar that the filmmaker knows a) what she is trying to impart, and b) how best to use her medium the most effectively in order to impart this thing…a writer needs to know how to use words, and a filmmaker needs to know film language.”
If I’d been more humble and more familiar with my skills and limits while writing my first book, I think it would’ve turned out better than it did. As it was, I was young and hot-headed and inexperienced. I didn’t understand my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and I didn’t take the time to do so. It wasn’t until the failure of my first book where I finally understood that I need to take time to know myself and my craft before taking on something as massive as a book series. A book by itself comes with its own difficulties, its own themes and threads. But a series where each book must be distinct by itself while contributing to an overarching story? That’s difficult. And I have to gain experience and build up confidence before taking the challenge.
Know Your Work
When you finish your project, how important this part is depends on what you choose to do with it. Some share their work without making any money at all, either through blogging or fanfiction. And some projects never see the light of day. In any case, you need to be able to talk about your work when you want people to see it, particularly if you plan to make money off of it.
Looking back, there are two reasons I failed at marketing Mabutay’s Lyric. One, there are few things in life I hate more than competing for attention. I feel pretentious, I feel like I’m overcompensating, and my biggest fear is annoying everyone by bringing it up as often as possible. So with my first book, I didn’t have a plan and I had little motivation to have one. Secondly, I struggled to come up with a good elevator pitch.
When you’re making an elevator pitch, you have 20-40 seconds to say what your book is and what makes it distinct from other books like it. I had the first part nailed; Tales of Anino is a portal fantasy young adult series. But I didn’t know how to succinctly describe the first book by itself, nor did I have the words to describe what made the series different from others in a way I could market. The first book is a murder mystery in a small town, but that element isn’t really introduced until the end of the first act (another of my mistakes). Every character has a special power, but I didn’t give a lot of thought to why this was important to the overall story. Even now, as I try to describe my first book, I struggle to come up with something that’ll resonate with my intended audience.
For the second installment, I have something a little more substantial; Chloe tries to relax on a dysfunctional family vacation while training her powers. But considering the threads I introduced in the first book and the ones I planned to introduce in this book, is this the kind of story I can write? Can I tell the story without making it convoluted to the point where I lose my audience? And even if I could, is this the kind of story people want to read right now?
In comparison, I don’t doubt myself half as much when I think of how to describe my current writing project. It’s a young adult high fantasy stand-alone book where a prince, a princess, and a witch must go on a journey to bring magic back. It’s not the first book of its kind by any stretch. But what makes it important to me is we see the impact witches have had on the kingdom before the 300-year witch hunt brought them almost to extinction. And as the three protagonists journey across the kingdom, we get to see what has been lost from the witch hunts and why it’s important for them to honor the past as they move towards the future.
If I were allowed to talk about my book longer than 20-40 seconds, I could keep going. I could go on about the different places, the human races and their relationships with each other, the group dynamics with the three protagonists and what each person represents, the themes and allegories of the story, and so much more. When I think about my current book, my doubt is overpowered by excitement.
When I think about Tales of Anino, my excitement is overpowered by doubt. And right now, I don’t know how to change that.
In Conclusion
I haven’t completely given up on Tales of Anino yet. I might down the road, or I might finish the story. As of the day I’m writing this, I am unable to continue the series and do it justice. There’s too much doubt and anxiety to make way for motivation, skill, or effective marketing. Right now, I want to focus on story ideas I know I can write. I need to focus on stories I know I can finish.
