Lost interest in my revisions - help!

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Moonfish

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I have a YA fantasy coming out next spring. In June I got the final (?) crits from my publisher and have been working on the revisions. There were a few question marks concerning some of the comments I received and about three weeks ago I sent an email asking about them. Yesterday I got the reply and today I should tackle the last revisions. It's only a matter of two scenes near the end of the book.

And I just can't be arsed. I have totally lost interest in this story! Which naturally scares me - how will anyone want to read it if I don't even like it myself...

Is there anyone else out there who's suffered from this same kind of last-revision blues? How did it turn out in the end?
Well, I hope...
 

Priene

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And I just can't be arsed.

Do you want to be a published author or not?


I have totally lost interest in this story! Which naturally scares me - how will anyone want to read it if I don't even like it myself...

Make yourself do it. It's not about inspiration or love of writing any more. It's about tenacity and finishing what you started.
 

TheIT

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I'm nowhere near published, but I fall in and out of love with my WIP on a regular basis. Sometimes I have no perspective at all on what I've written. What I've learned to do is to trust how I felt when I first put the words on paper, not what I feel now.

Perhaps doing something special would help you reignite your interest. Work on it someplace else like a restaurant or coffee shop or try reading it aloud. Sometimes simply taking a walk and letting the ideas percolate helps tremendously.

Good luck!

:Sun:
 

Priene

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Well, I already am :D
My mistake. You have my congratulations and envy.

But apart from that I suppose you're right. Have you ever doubted your work so late in the process?

When I get that far I'll let you know. Outside of writing, I create software. Delivery is the very worst thing in the world. Bugs come up, torrents of the damn things and every single one is your mistake. There's no point in getting angsty about it. You just fix the things and look forward to doing something more fun in a while.

It's just about application. Stop posting on AW and go and rewrite a scene. You won't feel better until you do it.
 

Moonfish

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I'm nowhere near published, but I fall in and out of love with my WIP on a regular basis. Sometimes I have no perspective at all on what I've written. What I've learned to do is to trust how I felt when I first put the words on paper, not what I feel now.

Perhaps doing something special would help you reignite your interest. Work on it someplace else like a restaurant or coffee shop or try reading it aloud. Sometimes simply taking a walk and letting the ideas percolate helps tremendously.

Good luck!

:Sun:

That sounds like a good idea. I could try taking my laptop with me somewhere this weekend.

It's really a question of me not being able to think of how to change certain scenes that my publisher wishes me to hone. I can't see how to make the text better anymore.
 

Moonfish

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It's just about application. Stop posting on AW and go and rewrite a scene. You won't feel better until you do it.

*blush*
Here I sit with the document open and keep checking AW to see if there are any new replies to my thread... Caught me red-handed!

I'll get offline NOW! I swear!
 

TheIT

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That sounds like a good idea. I could try taking my laptop with me somewhere this weekend.

It's really a question of me not being able to think of how to change certain scenes that my publisher wishes me to hone. I can't see how to make the text better anymore.

Polishing the wording or story/plot changes? The Sandbox is open for brainstorming.
 

qwerty

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I'll get offline NOW! I swear!

Oiy you said that 15 minutes ago and your green light is still on!

Seriously, you only got the revisions yesterday, and it only involves a couple of scenes - right? If it's not happening, it's not happening, and I'm not sure you can MAKE it happen. I have occasions when I sit and stare at a screen full of words and my head doesn't function.

May be best to take a break, even if it's only a day or so.
 

Moonfish

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Oiy you said that 15 minutes ago and your green light is still on!

I wonder why that is? I did quit the internet and work! Maybe because I am always logged on?

Seriously, you only got the revisions yesterday, and it only involves a couple of scenes - right? If it's not happening, it's not happening, and I'm not sure you can MAKE it happen. I have occasions when I sit and stare at a screen full of words and my head doesn't function.

May be best to take a break, even if it's only a day or so.

Well, but I have had quite a long break from this manuscript, I almost think that's the problem. I have lost connection with it.

The truth is, I guess, that I am just here to whine and get sympathies, so I better get offline again and continue working... I did get a bit of minor corrections made already, so that's good.
 

tehuti88

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Not going the publication route, but I know all about getting sick unto death of working on something. I love my stories to bits but there really are times when I want to scream and just throw them away from me. Not because I hate them, or think they suck terribly (though they might), but just because I'm tired of them.

Fortunately, I usually have other things to do until my brain should come back to its senses and I can return to the story a bit less frazzled and work on it again. I realize you've already done this, and not everyone has the freedom to drop their story whenever they want (I do), but sometimes a fresh perspective--whether it's taking a break, asking someone else's advice, or trying to see your story in a different way--is all it takes.

Anyway, no real advice from me, but yes, I've been there too. :D I think it's normal to get tired of one's babies sometimes (as long as one soon gets over it!).
 
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