Why I Started Writing a COMPLETELY New Book

Now I know what you're thinking. Seriously, a new book? Shouldn't you finish the one you've been working on FOR YEARS before just randomly swerving into a whole other lane?

Well, the surprising answer is, no, you shouldn't.

And can I just say that this was an incredibly painful realization for me to come to.

I've always been the kind of person that will not, under any circumstances, walk away from an unfinished project. It just eats away at me, sitting there in all its unfinishedness, until I can't take it anymore and get it done regardless of whether I have time or not.

Apparently, you can't always have that approach with books.

I've mentioned my biggest project a few times before, but for those of you who are new to the scene, I've been working on a four-book fantasy series for about four years now.

For the most part, those four years of writing were amazing. Writing is truly my passion, and nothing makes me happier than creating through the written word.

Here's the thing, about a month ago, I started to realize something was off. Working on my book series just wasn't FUN anymore.

I thought maybe it was because I had been putting too much energy toward sending out query letters, and that recieving all the rejections for said query letters was bringing me down, so I took a break from querying to focus on editing instead.

That didn't work either.

Every time I sat down at my computer, there was just this crushing sense of how am I ever going to finish this thing?

Let me put it in perspective. Like I said, there are four books. The first book (the one I've been pitching to literary agents) is just over 100,000 words. It is fully written, edited, and polished. The second book, also over 100,000 words, is fully written, but only about 25% finished in terms of editing. The third and fourth books are the weakest, each only about 10-20% written.

Do you see what I mean? Do you see how the scale of the project was starting to weigh on me a little?

At this point, I was spending more time editing and fussing and rearranging than just writing.

It finally hit me that there was an easy solution to this problem.

So I tucked all four volumes of my beloved book series into a neat little folder, and opened up a blank screen.

It was time to start fresh.

And let me tell you, it was the most AMAZING feeling.

For the first time in over a year, I was writing just to write.

I stopped worrying about query letters and agents and how to perfectly arrange my sentences so that no one could possibly turn me away, and I JUST WROTE.

This new story was completely unrelated, and while still fiction, was in a totally different genre than my other series.

New plot. New characters. New world. New ME.

Now of course I won't forget about my original project. Its story and characters are still very precious to me, but I can't begin to describe how much I needed to step away from them for a little while, and how good I felt once I was able to let myself take a break and get back to doing what I love.

So if you find yourself beating your head against the wall because things just aren't working for one reason or another, don't be afraid of that blank page.

You can start a brand new book, like I did, or just write down a few new ideas, or characters, or whatever the heck you want.

If you think trying poetry for a while will get your spunk back, then go for it! Become a poet!

There's no rule that says once you start writing a book you have to stick with it until the bitter end and never write anything else until its finished.

Especially if your frustrations lie in querying. I've been told so many times that even if your book is literal perfection, it might just not be a good time market-wise for what you're working on. So tuck it away for safekeeping, try something else for a bit, and blow the dust off your old projects when you think the time is right.

I hope you found this helpful and wish you the best of luck in all your writing endeavors! As always, hit me up in the comments with any questions, concerns, or mind-blowing revelations.