I love this--and I pre-ordered!! <3 If you don't mind me asking, I'm super curious about that shift from upmarket to suspense. Did you feel resistance, or were you immediately down for it? I feel like I'd struggle with reorienting my ~baby~ to a whole new genre, but it also sounds like it was definitely the right choice!! So fascinating to me how the work moves from being a totally independent endeavor to a collaborative one, and we have to both stay true to our vision while also maintaining flexibility.
You're so kind! Thank you so much for preordering, Lindsey! I absolutely love talking about how I handled shifting genres. The short story is that I resisted at first, but when I had several agents making offers of rep and saying the novel felt more thriller-y to them, I gave it some serious thought and realized they were all onto something. When I had the call with the agent I ultimately signed with, I told her honestly that I didn't know HOW to shift the genre, and she talked me through her vision and how it only needed to be about a 20% lean into the other genre. After that, I was more excited to attempt it because it was less about rethinking the whole book and more about adjusting elements that were already on the page (like when to reveal certain information, playing up some red herrings a bit more, etc).
I wrote about it in more depth in a couple of guest posts on the Present Tense substack if you want to read more! Or just email me, I'm a total open book about this! :)
I can feel the struggle and the frustration behind the words!
I had to stop and re-read a couple of your thoughts!
As you know I am not a writer, and yet I can always apply your insights into my own experiences.
The final thought: ״For me, writing begets writing. Not writing begets not writing. Even when I’m lost, it’s better to be meeting the page than avoiding it”, really can apply to so many different things in my life too!
Thank you again for allowing us to have a peek 👀 inside a beautifully creative mind!
Your descriptions of stuckness hit a nerve because I have a similar timeline to yours—a novel I drafted about 3 or 3 million years ago (?) that got set aside because other projects moved into the foreground, including my next forthcoming novel. I worry how it will feel to go back to project X. My entire way of plotting has changed since then! Will I still connect to the voice? Will I drag my feet? How will I get back IN? You’ve answered that question, Kristin. Only by writing. And being patient.
So glad this resonated with you! I admit, it's been tricky reconciling the draft I wrote back then with the way my brain operates now. I feel like I'm merging two different books into one while also not really knowing what the entire story is yet. I'm trying, though. I got up early today to write and managed a whopping 27 words. Still kind of stuck, but trying to wade through it by writing! Sending solidarity your way as you wade back into your book.
I love this--and I pre-ordered!! <3 If you don't mind me asking, I'm super curious about that shift from upmarket to suspense. Did you feel resistance, or were you immediately down for it? I feel like I'd struggle with reorienting my ~baby~ to a whole new genre, but it also sounds like it was definitely the right choice!! So fascinating to me how the work moves from being a totally independent endeavor to a collaborative one, and we have to both stay true to our vision while also maintaining flexibility.
You're so kind! Thank you so much for preordering, Lindsey! I absolutely love talking about how I handled shifting genres. The short story is that I resisted at first, but when I had several agents making offers of rep and saying the novel felt more thriller-y to them, I gave it some serious thought and realized they were all onto something. When I had the call with the agent I ultimately signed with, I told her honestly that I didn't know HOW to shift the genre, and she talked me through her vision and how it only needed to be about a 20% lean into the other genre. After that, I was more excited to attempt it because it was less about rethinking the whole book and more about adjusting elements that were already on the page (like when to reveal certain information, playing up some red herrings a bit more, etc).
I wrote about it in more depth in a couple of guest posts on the Present Tense substack if you want to read more! Or just email me, I'm a total open book about this! :)
https://presenttense.substack.com/p/how-many-times-can-you-revise-a-novel
https://presenttense.substack.com/p/i-didnt-know-i-wrote-a-thriller-until
omg yes, those posts are so fascinating -- thank you for linking!! inspired by your flexibility and tenacity!
I can feel the struggle and the frustration behind the words!
I had to stop and re-read a couple of your thoughts!
As you know I am not a writer, and yet I can always apply your insights into my own experiences.
The final thought: ״For me, writing begets writing. Not writing begets not writing. Even when I’m lost, it’s better to be meeting the page than avoiding it”, really can apply to so many different things in my life too!
Thank you again for allowing us to have a peek 👀 inside a beautifully creative mind!
Thank you so much for reading! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments!❤️
I felt this in my bones! Thanks for sharing. I'm also stuck in some revisions that don't want to get unstuck!
Here's to unsticking our stories!!
Your descriptions of stuckness hit a nerve because I have a similar timeline to yours—a novel I drafted about 3 or 3 million years ago (?) that got set aside because other projects moved into the foreground, including my next forthcoming novel. I worry how it will feel to go back to project X. My entire way of plotting has changed since then! Will I still connect to the voice? Will I drag my feet? How will I get back IN? You’ve answered that question, Kristin. Only by writing. And being patient.
So glad this resonated with you! I admit, it's been tricky reconciling the draft I wrote back then with the way my brain operates now. I feel like I'm merging two different books into one while also not really knowing what the entire story is yet. I'm trying, though. I got up early today to write and managed a whopping 27 words. Still kind of stuck, but trying to wade through it by writing! Sending solidarity your way as you wade back into your book.