Poking an Old Idea with a Stick
Posted by annastan on May 7th, 2010. Filed under: WIP, Writing Rants.As I’ve talked about in the past, I have one manuscript that I’ve been working on for years now. It’s an idea that just won’t die, even though I’m not sure how to tell the story properly. A few months ago, I decided to put away the Old One with the intention of coming back to it when I had time.
Well it’s the end of the semester and I’m in the midst of a lot of grading, so I’m not exactly swimming in time right now. But last night, as I was brushing my teeth, an idea popped into my head of how to revamp the Old One. It would completely change some aspects of the story, but most of the important elements would remain relatively untouched. And the best part was that I was actually excited about the possibility of doing another revision.
Could it work? At this point, I’m not sure. This project has been through so many versions, I’ve started to doubt my own judgment. Part of me is afraid to dig it back up again and start revising; it sort of feels like poking it with a stick to see if it’s still alive. Maybe it’s not, maybe it’s a project that just needs to be put to rest. But as long as I keep thinking about it and coming up with ways to fix it, maybe it’s worth another shot.
How are you all doing with your WIPs? Have you had any Old Ones pop up and demand that you pay attention to them?
May 7th, 2010 at 9:35 am
I love the analogy of poking an old idea with a stick! I’m going through a revision of an old ms (well only 2 yrs old but still) but there are still a couple of older half-finished ones that have potential. If they keep haunting you they must be worth something!
May 7th, 2010 at 9:56 am
The story I’m querying now was a complete rewrite of an old idea that I couldn’t let go of. I have others that I’ll come back to when the right rewrite pops into my head. LIke you, that means, that means the right way to tell the story. Until then, I’m working on something new. Good luck with the rewrite!
May 7th, 2010 at 10:23 am
A friend of mine just got her agent from a story she’s been writing and rewriting for ten years. Never give up!
May 7th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Nelsa, that’s great that you’ve revived an older manuscript. If you can do it for one, I bet you can do it for some of the others. You’re right, if it keeps nagging at me, I should try to keep working on it!
Laura, I’m glad you went back to your old idea and rewrote it. Isn’t it amazing when you can completely rework a project? Enjoy the new story!
Sherrie, I love stories like that! Some ideas are good for practice, I think, but the ones that stick with you for years are definitely worth working on.
May 7th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Definitely give it a chance! If the idea won’t let you go, it must mean there’s still something there for you to discover. Have fun!!!
May 7th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Good luck with it! I find picking up an old ms quite daunting. Usually I find I have to entirely rewrite it in order to rethink it and revise it. Otherwise I’m just polishing, and not really getting at the problems intrinsic to it. So I have a few old ones stuffed in a drawer that I’d love to go back to, but so far the fear of starting all over again and still not figuring it out has kept me away. But we’ll see if years and years on they’re still calling… then maybe.
May 7th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
If the idea has you excited about revision, RUN WITH IT!!! It won’t cost you much time to try it out for a few chapters. By then, you should have a feel for its effectiveness.
May 7th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Laura, I think you’re absolutely right. There are some ideas in the story that still intrigue me – now I just have to figure out how to get them across!
Thanks, Anne! You know, I started working on the idea this morning and I found that I had to open a blank document and start all over. So it really isn’t going back to an old manuscript – it’s starting a totally new one. We’ll see what happens!
Shannon, that’s so true! Trying out a couple chapters and seeing if the new idea has merit is definitely worth a shot. So far I’m happy with the results. *crosses fingers*
May 7th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Some manuscripts take a very long time–either the story’s not ready yet, or we as writers aren’t ready to write it yet, for whatever reason. I agree with a previous comment–if it doesn’t let you go, that means there’s something still there.
May 7th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Love that picture, and the whole idea of poking it with a stick. Yeah, if it screams, or even stirs, it’s got life left.
And it sounds like you were gifted with an idea out of the blue — or the subconscious. Exciting!
May 7th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Good luck on revamping your idea! I have shelved novel I’d like to revise someday. Like you, I’ll have to give it a poke and see if it will come back to life!
May 7th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Anna–I have done this, where I rewrote without looking at the previous manuscript. The blank slate is sometimes necessary. I have a MG novel which I always thought would be my drawer novel, but there are aspects of it that I really love. And the plot is all there…So, yes, I think about poking that one with a stick. But that is number three in the revision queue, so at my pace, maybe in a couple of years, I’ll get to it…if it isn’t bumped out of the queue by then…
I love that you are still working on the novel in the deep recesses of your brain…
May 7th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Andrea, I think for me it was a bit of both – I wasn’t mature enough as a writer when I began this story and the story is also pretty complex. Hopefully I’m finally ready to tell it!
Marcia, maybe you’re right and my subconscious has been working on the idea for the past few months. I’m hoping the rest of the answers come more quickly!
Lydia, you never know what might happen unless you give it a good poke. Happy writing!
Heather, I definitely have a couple drawer novels that I don’t think I’ll ever resurrect, but I like to think of them as broken-down cars – you can always use them for their spare parts.
May 7th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
I always love the amusing pictures you find for all your posts.
I have a WIP that predates my teens in its earliest form, and currently exists as a completed rough draft and a partially completed rewrite of a second draft. I’ve been working on and off at that rewrite for four years or so. The story and characters just WON’T leave me alone, so I keep slowly pecking away at it. Maybe one day I’ll actually finish. We’ll see. But I figure if it’s been this long and the story still excites me there has to be SOMETHING worthwhile about it, right?
Good luck!!
May 8th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Yay for you! I’ve been doing some serious thinking about major revisions on a project of the past. I’m going to let it stew for a bit longer while I work on something else and then give it a shot.
May 8th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Joanna, if you can’t tell, I have way too much fun finding pictures for my posts.
It sounds like that idea still has plenty of life to it, no matter how tricky it might be to execute. You’ll find the right way to tell it eventually!
PJ, isn’t it so exciting when old projects start speaking to you again? Good luck with it!
May 9th, 2010 at 12:21 am
I wish I new what it was like to have an old idea, or an old WiP in a box under the bed. I’m so new at writing that my current WiP is my oldest idea. I get SNIS every single day, but I vehemently fight it because I want to finish something one day. The rate at which I am heading: I’ll have a novel ready to query in ten years. By that point, maybe I’ll have added to my old idea roster!
May 9th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Jon, not to worry, we’ve all been there. It’s good you’re putting aside your new ideas and focusing on finishing projects. That’s the way to do it! I know it can feel like you’re moving in slow motion, but it’s all about finding the pace that works for you. You can do it! *shakes pompoms*