Writing Revelations 1: Letting Go

I've learned so much this past year, that I thought I would share some of my epiphanies. I wanted to contain them in one post, but I've had too many revelations for that! I hope this mini-series will prove useful to someone.

Writing Revelations 1: Letting Go
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Ok, I want to start out with the most important realization I've made within these last 12 months. Without it, I would still be treading in circles. I call this one: LEARN WHEN TO LET GO!
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Letting go is that hardest thing a writer will ever have to do. It is. You've worked so hard on that first manuscript. It's your baby--the culmination of many years of effort. You've put so much thought and care into every detail of your plot. Your characters are your friends. You gave them life; you've nurtured them; you've been a guest on all of their adventures. Your stories are your kids, and letting them go is going to give you a serious case of empty nest syndrome. But continuing to struggle with that first manuscript is a lot like being in a bad relationship. You just keep going in circles. You want to make it work so badly, but sometimes you just can't.

Letting go sucks... I can't emphasize that enough, but as a writer, sometimes you have to. If you've been coddling your first manuscript for years (knowing that it's still not ready for the world, even after a million edits and revisions), you have to realize that it might be time to move on. It doesn't have to be for forever, but put it aside; let it go.

Letting go is awful at first. You feel like a traitor and a coward for running away. How will teenage-you ever forgive now-you? But once you've lovingly placed that first manuscript to rest... it's the most liberating feeling you will ever have. Ever.

It turns out that teenage-me knew nothing of the world. Letting go of my first manuscript was the best thing I ever did. I'm a much better writer now, and putting that first book aside allowed me to see that; to fully explore new ideas, and new sides of myself. Letting go is why I'm here now. Yes, I still love my first book, and it will always be my baby. I will return to it one day--but not now. Because I let it go I was able to let my creative energy flow in an entirely new direction. I started a new book, learning from the many mistakes of the first. This new book feels right in a way the first never did. It might not be the book, but it feels like it just might be. And if manuscript 2 is successful enough to land me an agent, then I will know I have manuscript 1 to thank. So thanks for the mistakes that have taught me so much, and thanks for understanding that it was time for me to move on.