I’m having one of those days where I am questioning everything about this current novel. I finished a book that is just one action event after another, and my book has none of that because it’s set in the first year at a military academy, and it’s establishing all the relationships and the world and setting up all these hooks that will pay off later. The violence will take place on the sports field, and in a duel, and training exercises gone wrong, but the big kabooms can’t hit yet.
But then I became terrified that this would be boring. And maybe I was doing it all wrong? I’ve set trying to shoehorn in action, gun play, something even while knowing that’s the wrong approach.
Why are writers so damn insecure?
Hi Melinda,
I have some encouraging words for you. It seems as though you’re concerned that your current novel will be boring because it is heavy on relationships and set-up and light on action, anticipating a future payoff. I’d submit that at this point in your career, that’s okay. A great many readers of this forthcoming novel will be familiar with your excellent previous works and therefore will trust you to eventually payoff all of the set-up. I understand that your last work was action packed, but there is no need to shoehorn action into the current one. We know that you’ve got serious writing talent and we as readers will be patient for the payoff as we enjoy all of the wonderfully detailed set-up that you create for us. Overthinking things may do you wrong; follow your heart, it has lead you this far.
Thank you, James. I am feeling a bit better about it today. I actually took a day to just ponder on the thing and look at the scaffolding, and now I’m about to start hammering again. 🙂