Saturday Chit-Chat (March 31)
What’s the toughest book you’ve ever written?
JEL: That’s actually a hard question because every book is tough while I’m writing it. I don’t realize how easy one is until after I’m done and I think, “wow, that one just flew by!” But I have to say that the toughest book to date was DIRTY LITTLE LIES. Not only was I dealing with writing my first ever second-in-a-series book with the same characters, but life was being a particular b*tch during that time and well, that affects writers. We are, by our nature, emotional creatures. If our emotions are in a jumble, then the writing is harder. I knew about half way through the book that things weren’t working, but I was on a tight deadline and I thought I could write through it and revise later. When I got to the end, I realized I hadn’t told the story I wanted to tell. So, I rewrote the entire book during the revision stage. I didn’t fix…I cut and rewrote. Cut about 3/4 of what had been written and completely redid it. The second time around, the book moved. Words flew! I really enjoyed the process (even if the pace nearly killed me physically) and I’m very, very proud of the final project! Of course, my Plotmonkeys helped me decide how to tear the book apart and put it back together again…I never could have done it without them!
LK: You know, this one is EASY for me. I mean, like Julie, every book is tough while I’m writing it…but there’s ONE that almost killed me and put me in the hospital right after I finished it. That was my “Forrester Square” continuity book, called THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, that was released to subscribers only in the fall of 2002. I HATED every minute of that book. Mainly because it was just not something I’d ever choose to write. Get this: A beautiful, perfect model heroine who has ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION because she wanted to be a mom, so now she’s raising this precocious, bratty kid. (I was given this, remember…my heroines are never beautiful, perfect models longing for motherhood! They’re normal women, longing for good sex!) Now, add: A male-biological-clock-is-ticking hero who wants to adopt a child (oh, God, SO NOT ME! My heroes are playboys and wicked bad boys!) Add a hospital day care center (lots more kids…oy…my only kid book ever!) and a mystery involving a bunch of other characters who do not have anything to do with my story, but whose plot I have to continue in my book.
Believe me, I have worked with other writers on “overlapping” or “continuing” stories…but they’ve always been stories I came up with or developed with the other writers. This, however, wasn’t like that…I was given the general plot and the characters and had to write it. And I just hated every minute of it. It was the first and last continuity I ever did…and I think it sold about 200 copies in the whole world! Anyway, I had such a hard time writing this so-not-me story, that I chained myself to a desk for hours a day, for many many weeks, and by the time it was done, I’d put myself in such a bad state that I ended up in the hospital with such severe back problems I had to have emergency back surgery.
So THAT was my worst book experience evah!! :biteme:
CP: EVERY BOOK I AM CURRENTLY WRITING IS THE HARDEST BOOK I EVER WROTE. Today that would be HOT PROPERTY. :biteme: (And if my real life … family, children, others’ health, my health, would cooperate, MAYBE things would get better). SIGH. I’d better 
in case anybody mentioned here reads this blog, which seems to be happening lately. Can we say “children” anybody? 
JD: Like Leslie, the hardest/toughest book I had to write was a continuity book called NICK OF TIME. I received a call one day from my editor, Brenda Chin, and she told me that they were in a huge bind and needed an author to write this continuity book for them since the original author had to drop out of the series due to family/health issues. Being new and very green at the time, of course I said I’d do it. Never mind that I only had 6 weeks to write the book (280 pages), 
or that I had to write a book that someone else had already started (I had three of their chapters), or that, like Leslie, I was GIVEN the characters, story, and plot and had to basically write a book that wasn’t mine. So, after saying yes, I got started, and realized that I COULDN’T write the other person’s story, that I really did have to make it MINE. So, I had to scratch everything I had and start over . . . . which gave me about 4 weeks to write the book by this time. 
The book was a killer to write (and nearly killed me because I had to revise, revise, and revise some more) but somewhere along the way the characters and story DID come together, and by the time the book was done (the day before I was to leave on a one week vacation with my family! 
), I knew I’d done the best I could. However, being that this was the toughest/hardest book I’ve ever written, it also is one of my absolute favorites. When I came back from my vacation and read my galleys with a fresh eye (and rested mind!), I realized that somehow, someway, I’d written a really good book with strong characters and conflict. Though the book was only available through mail-order only (such a bummer!), NICK OF TIME went on to winner quite a few awards, including the NATIONAL READERS CHOICE AWARD. So, even though books are hard and tough to write during the process of writing them, some of them do end up being gems. 
Leslie- Ouch.
Julie- I am soooo glad you re-wrote it. But I am still holding on to it to read. Kinda like self- torture.
Comment by ev — March 31, 2007 @ 7:35 am
Thanks, ev…though I can’t advocate your self torture, LOL!
Comment by Julie Leto — March 31, 2007 @ 9:17 am
It’s nice to hear that you guys struggle. Not that I want you to struggle, it just makes me feel better about my own slow, miserable process.
I read, “How I Write” by Janet Evanovich and there were 2 things she said that really stood out to me. Don’t rewrite the first chapter until it’s perfect. (Wish I’d known that before I spent 6 months on one chapter). And the 2nd thing was: Don’t trash the whole book half-way through because you think it’s crap. OK, well now that is timely because I’m so tempted to do that right now.
It’s nice to know that professionals like you seem to struggle through the process too. I think we conjure up images (at least once upon a time I did) of you sitting at a computer, thumping out however many pages a day, skipping off to bed, completely happy and fullfilled and after a few days of that the end result, in all its glory, is completed.
Thanks for shattering my illusions!!!!
Comment by Jodie — March 31, 2007 @ 10:58 am
Les, I wholeheartedly agree that it’s very difficult to be handed a story to write–particularly when it comes to characters. They’re much easier to write when I get excited about them and if there’s no spark there, it really is drudgery.
Jodie, I feel for you on tossing a book half way through, but listen to Janet. When I began writing, I started and stopped no less than 5 books, each time getting to the middle and trashing it for one reason or another. It was only when my family and friends got so frustrated with me that I knew I had to finish one or I’d lose their support forever.
Typical conversation: “So, I’ve got this new story idea!”
“Wait, what happened to the last idea?”
“Oh, that sucked. This one’s better.”
“But I liked that one. In fact, I spent three hours listening to you talking about that one.”
“Yeah, but the plot fell apart half way through. It was never going to work. So anyway, here’s the new one–”
I got away with it a few times, but then patience ran pretty short all around. My husband actually told me he didn’t want to hear about a new story until I finished the one I started, and I’m so glad he made me do that. Granted, I never sold that story, and it was pretty flawed, but the experience I gained seeing a project through to the end was invaluable. I believe it’s what flipped the switch for me in going from a person who tinkered with writing novels to a writer who actually wrote novels.
So don’t let your doubts stop you from finishing what you started. You’ll be very proud of yourself, and so will everyone around you!
Comment by Lori Borrill — March 31, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
Thanks for the great advise, Lori. I did read where someone else said, “Don’t stop halfway through. The only thing you learn then is, how to not finish a book.”
It makes sense, and I do know that even if it sucks then I’ll at least have the experience of going from beginning to end. I do have some encouragement though. Rememeber the guy that I gave it to to read? Well, he likes it - although I will admit that I’ve cut the really intense scenes and he’s only getting the basics. He was having a hard time “extricating the writer from the writing” and that kind of freaked me out so we agreed to skip the “good parts” in his copy. (I guess that goes back to some of the conversations during the “My person” blog this week).
And 3 other friends are reading it and now they’re all going, “So where’s the rest of it. You had me read it and I’m on Chapter 6 and now I’m just waiting for something more.” At least their encouragement will keep pushing me through to finish it.
Thanks again for the great advise. And what happened to your blog? Is that part of your cutting-back-on-the-internet efforts?
Comment by Jodie — March 31, 2007 @ 12:46 pm
Jodie, that’s awesome! I’m glad you’re getting such great feedback on your writing. And on the “good spots”, I’ve had that response too–people who think the heroine is “me”, which can be a little mortifying. I tell them, “Trust me, I wasn’t thinking me when I wrote it!” But it’s one of the many things we learn to get over if we want to be writers.
You know, I loved my blog and was sorry to see it go. Unfortunately, it sucked up too much of my time. With a FT job, family, and an editor looking for more work, life got too stressful and I had to cut something out. Maybe some day if I’m lucky enough to lose the day job I can bring it back, but until then, I’ll have to simply leach onto everyone else’s blogs (like the poor Plot Monkeys).
Comment by Lori Borrill — March 31, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
Plotmonkeys, this discussion makes me appreciate each book I read even more. Your blood, sweat & tears are giving us all good reading material. Thanks.
Lori, glad to see you here & glad you are writing. Please continue.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Take care,
Donna M
Comment by Donna M — March 31, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
Lori, we love that you come by and visit, along with our regular posters!
Comment by Janelle — March 31, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
Lori, hopefully you’ll be able to leave the FT and make writing your FT job -if that’s what you’d like. I’m sure the blog did take a lof time. Jeez, I’m on here half a dozen times a day just to check and see what everyone else has to say and is doing.
One other thing Janet E. said was, writers will do anything and everything to get out of writing. Glad I’m not alone in that too. Whenever I get stuck I think, “I’ll jump online and see what’s happened in the last 5 minutes since I was on there.”
Like now.
Comment by Jodie — March 31, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Jodie - I think that the internet consumes about 50% of a writer’s life, especially when it comes to procrastination, LOL! Seriously. I know whenever I don’t feel like writing (which is, like, everyday!), I’ll jump online to check my email, read blogs, etc., and before you know it, 3 hours have passed!
And those three hours really, truly, should have went toward my page count for the day!
Comment by Janelle — March 31, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
LOL Janelle. I enjoy coming by and I “try” not to stick my foot in my mouth too often–but I’m so good at it!
I do have to say, though, that I keep getting drawn here not only because the PlotMonkeys themselves are a great group of women, but….pssst….between you and me, I think you’ve got the best visitors.
Comment by Lori Borrill — March 31, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
See, I can somewhat justify it as research!! Somewhat!
I really do learn a lot from everyone here and so I can say I’ve been researching.
Thanks for all your invaluable help!!
Comment by Jodie — March 31, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
Hi Monkeys,
I can so totally understand how life could affect a story you are trying to write.
Carly~ I hope everyone’s health and attitudes get better real soon.
Janelle~ I never would have known that Nick of Time gave you any problems at all. I also understand how the rested mind works so much better than a stressed out noggin.
Leslie~ I sure would have hated to do another book in a series. i know these are fun for me to read. Written by different authors, but having the same characters to a certain degree. I think I would be totally lost.
Julie~I can’t believe you have problems. I think your books have a great flow to them.
Al I can say is that I wouldn’t know from the finished book that any of you ladies had trouble with a certain story.:doggie:
Comment by Gigi — March 31, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
Janelle, I read NICK OF TIME (& still have it), & really enjoyed it. In spite of your trauma in writing it, I think you did a great job. I also have read several others in that series, & enjoyed almost all of them. It was a clever (& different) concept.
Patricia A.
Comment by Patricia — March 31, 2007 @ 11:42 pm
It’s nice to know that some people DID read NICK OF TIME, LOL! Like I said, it was only available through mail-order, so the distribution on the book wasn’t that big!
Lori, I have to agree with you that we have, hands down, THE BEST visitors and posters!
Comment by Janelle — April 1, 2007 @ 2:06 am