One of the most devastating, DEVASTATING things for me was, when I was a year and a half into a project, about 250,000 words of research and manuscript written, was clicking a goodreads contest from Twitter, only to find that the book was EXACTLY like the book I was writing. The only difference I think was choir kids vs band kids. The MC even had my dog's name.
I get that there is nothing new under the sun, but this book was so similar to what I was writing--I had to scrap the whole thing. I cried about it. I was really angry. I still, out of spite, haven't read that other book.
I wish I was a faster writer sometimes. Or a better writer. Or that my good ideas were more frequent.
I had a weird few moments where something I'd sent to a workshop that was 'unrealistic' in a sci-fi story later popped up in physics news. Black hole cosmogony isn't new, but the way it was written about looked just like dialogue I was writing. And then there were the wormholes... oh the wormholes.
Still not published the book. I'm on the fence about querying it when 80% of my fanbase says to go self-pub, but I feel the book might benefit from that longer process. We'll see. They are doing a good job of convincing me at the moment.
WWII witches who fly fighter and bombing missions is a solid idea, as the Temeraire series and Jonathan Strange were to the Napoleonic Wars. Maybe one gets shot down by an enemy witch, so a team has to go in an rescue her and others from a witch prison camp. Meanwhile, they're trying to escape. Sort of David Fisher's WAR MAGICIAN with real magic.
Yea, once you work out the rules of magic and the history of witches (the other WACs: Witches Army Corp, active since the Revolution, though), then it gets easy because the plot can rip off a million WW2 movies: Great Escape, Guns of Navaronne, Big Red One, Dirty Dozens--but with witches. There's also some crossover to your historical women's fiction set during the war.
Wow, Kate, get out of my head! I'm in the middle of a major revise to my ms and this intrusive thought has been pushing me way beyond my usual flow. I think it's because my new dev editor gushed over how high concept my idea is and said it was right for me to keep it to myself. I got triggered, and now I just want to *finish this draft* and get it back out there before someone beats me to it! But you're right, concept notwithstanding, this is the book only *I* can write, and I have to lean into that. So happy to know this is normal and I'm not alone. Thank you!
One of the most devastating, DEVASTATING things for me was, when I was a year and a half into a project, about 250,000 words of research and manuscript written, was clicking a goodreads contest from Twitter, only to find that the book was EXACTLY like the book I was writing. The only difference I think was choir kids vs band kids. The MC even had my dog's name.
I get that there is nothing new under the sun, but this book was so similar to what I was writing--I had to scrap the whole thing. I cried about it. I was really angry. I still, out of spite, haven't read that other book.
I wish I was a faster writer sometimes. Or a better writer. Or that my good ideas were more frequent.
I had a weird few moments where something I'd sent to a workshop that was 'unrealistic' in a sci-fi story later popped up in physics news. Black hole cosmogony isn't new, but the way it was written about looked just like dialogue I was writing. And then there were the wormholes... oh the wormholes.
Still not published the book. I'm on the fence about querying it when 80% of my fanbase says to go self-pub, but I feel the book might benefit from that longer process. We'll see. They are doing a good job of convincing me at the moment.
WWII witches who fly fighter and bombing missions is a solid idea, as the Temeraire series and Jonathan Strange were to the Napoleonic Wars. Maybe one gets shot down by an enemy witch, so a team has to go in an rescue her and others from a witch prison camp. Meanwhile, they're trying to escape. Sort of David Fisher's WAR MAGICIAN with real magic.
Oh man I LOVE IT
Yea, once you work out the rules of magic and the history of witches (the other WACs: Witches Army Corp, active since the Revolution, though), then it gets easy because the plot can rip off a million WW2 movies: Great Escape, Guns of Navaronne, Big Red One, Dirty Dozens--but with witches. There's also some crossover to your historical women's fiction set during the war.
Thanks - I needed that.
perfect words, and perfectly timed--as usual! Thank you, Kate.
Wow, Kate, get out of my head! I'm in the middle of a major revise to my ms and this intrusive thought has been pushing me way beyond my usual flow. I think it's because my new dev editor gushed over how high concept my idea is and said it was right for me to keep it to myself. I got triggered, and now I just want to *finish this draft* and get it back out there before someone beats me to it! But you're right, concept notwithstanding, this is the book only *I* can write, and I have to lean into that. So happy to know this is normal and I'm not alone. Thank you!