Purgatory's Pit of Doom

{Ink and Snappy}

Ink is it time for a mini-vacation? Maybe take a month off writing to relax?

Ink, I understand that burned out feeling. Soul's suggestion of a mini vacation is a good idea. I have a cot down in the sub sub basement, you're welcome to use.

Ink, I hear you. I'm having trouble deciding what story to work on next. I have a fairy tale idea I like, but I'm not sure what the market is. I know retellings are oversaturated, but an original one might be worse because there's no hook, like lesbian Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood with werewolves.

Then I have an awesome YA/adult historical that would be so fantastic but I'm not sure of the market, plus that's a really hard one. I don't want to do it unless I think someone will buy it because it will take a long, long time.

And I have an MG historical which is probably closest to shovel-ready, but it's not the sort of book that attracts an agent. Like, if I have an agent, there is a clear market, but if I'm trying to break in, I need a bigger book.

Maybe I just need another super-duper, blockbuster, break-out, hook-laden idea. Easy peasey.

'Maybe I just need another super-duper, blockbuster, break-out, hook-laden idea. Easy peasey.' <- LOL! See that's all any of us has to do to get launched out of here! It's so easy we overlooked it!

Eh, this is actually what I do to relax. I get antsy when I'm not working on anything so I'll muddle through on something. I just don't know what.

Kellion, I love fairytale retellings, FWIW.

I'm with you in that I have three projects that appeal.

My contemporary, which is probably too similar to another book, plus it lacks anything resembling a hook. Girl who feels guilty about accidentally killing her sister learns to move on. With romance. It's like take two extremely popular YA books and mesh them into one. Only it won't be as well written as either of the others.

Then I have a paranormal, with secret societies and Sumerian demons and gods, that doesn't seem different enough to stand out when agents are saying they're bored of paranormal. And a paranormal with a boy MC and a really weird premise that two agents told me would be near impossible to sell.

Pass the maggot bong.

Ink what's the really weird premise one about? PM me please (ha just by you saying that I'm interested)

Have you thought of meshing a few ideas together to try to make a totally new one? Or maybe keeping those ideas and pulling in another idea and trying to see if that takes you somewhere else?

I'm working through a ms whose first incarnation was a very VERY well worn plot. But eventually it turned into something far different.

Gah, that sucks that writing-which is stressing you out right now--is also what relaxes you (when you're in the zone Im imagining)

*passes maggot bong*

Yeah, I think I'll work on the fairy tale a bit until I get the blockbuster idea. Fairy tales are sort of perennial -- so if it's good, I could sell it in a few years, if I ever have an agent or a career. I think I need to do some deliberate brainstorming for new concepts though.

Ink, I like the Sumerian idea.

ETA: Then seconds later I put library holds on books to research the YA historical, when no one wants YA historicals. Maybe it will be adult though -- I just read a much-praised YA historical and was so, so annoyed by the anachronistic character voice and heavy-handed modern values.

kellion92 said:

Maybe I just need another super-duper, blockbuster, break-out, hook-laden idea. Easy peasey.

Click to expand...

And maybe Orson Welles will present you with the standard rich-and-famous contract like he gave Kermit in The Muppet Movie



You see, dreams really do come true...in The Pit

I joined Ink and got a Full Rejection, plus 2 other Query Rs today.

This sucks.

Kellion, it's called casting a wide net. Or something like that. What was the historical? Rep me.

Soul, part of my problem is I have a million fleshed out ideas waiting, plus a handful of MSs in need of revision or finishing. I have so many things asking to be picked that it's very easy come up with reasons not to work on any of them. If I had one or two that I was really excited about, I think it would be easier to focus and put aside my worries.

(((Steve))) Damn, must have been an inbox cleaning weekend.

Sorry about the Rs, Steve.

I love fairytale retellings too. Adore them. Actually, I love the sound of the Sumerian paranormal too, and I'm not a paranormal girl.

Maybe there's a reason we're all in the same Pit.

{{Steve}} man suckitude is riding high in the pit today.

Yeah Kellion (shit I'm SUCH a chime-inner) rep me your historical idea too

Ink FWIW Sumerian sounds unique to me. I read somewhere that it's a good idea (sometimes) to base stories on myths and legends/etc that are more 'obscure' as the probability that they've been done before would be less and the unique factor would rise. Of course, whether or not such and such agent would think that idea was marketable is a different story all together but we can't do anything about that /grumble

Vandal, Kermit's a bastard! He told me to come down a dark alley, knock three times at a door and his friend would answer and give me that contract to sign *shakes head* all I got for my trouble was an ass whooping and Kermit stole my last five bucks! THEN he had the nerve to get mad at me 'cause I'm so broke and he went to all that trouble whooping my ass and only got $5 out of it!
/grumble...again

Well shit. That's what the new sub-sub-sub-basement is quickly filling up with apparently. Why did I expect anything else?

Oh, didn't you know the Pit was built right above the infernal septic tank?

ah... so that's where the hellhound poop goes

*takes a hit from the maggot bong*

(((Steve)))

ink wench said:

I've lost the desire to work on anything.

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This.

(((Ink))) Don't you love conflicting advice? <---sarcasm

(((Steve))) Ouch.

"They" always say Mondays are clean out the ol' in-box day.....

Kellion, I <3 retellings.

Red, I'm glad you're building something below the Pit, because frankly, I don't feel as though I deserve to be all the way up here in the Pit; it's feeling too luxurious for someone like me.

I need to go down, way down, into the fiery depths of the Earth's core....

Cricket, I keep thinking of that old joke about the guy who goes to Hell and is given a tour and told he can choose where he wants to spend eternity.

There's a pit where people are standing ankle deep in shit. A pit where they stand waist deep in shit. And a pit where they stand neck deep in shit.

Naturally he chooses the ankle deep option. Not 5 minutes into his stint in Hell, a bell sounds and somebody (Satan, one presumes) shouts over the loud speaker: "Break time's over! Everybody back on their heads!"

RedScylla said:

Cricket, I keep thinking of that old joke about the guy who goes to Hell and is given a tour and told he can choose where he wants to spend eternity.

There's a pit where people are standing ankle deep in shit. A pit where they stand waist deep in shit. And a pit where they stand neck deep in shit.

Naturally he chooses the ankle deep option. Not 5 minutes into his stint in Hell, a bell sounds and somebody (Satan, one presumes) shouts over the loud speaker: "Break time's over! Everybody back on their heads!"

Click to expand...

(((ink))) My mid grade that crashed and burned (it's currently being used to keep that lopsided table over there balanced, the one that had part of its leg chewed off by a hell hound) had no less that five comments from eds saying they'd *just* signed something similar.

(((Steve))) As I was writing this got an R from a short story market. Not too upset. I run everything by them first. They shoot out fast rejects. Full Rejections on the other hand...

ink, Kellion,

I also have at least four ideas ready to go and not sure which one to pick up next. It's like you're supposed to be able to read the future. Or just have that lucky touch. I wish I knew where someone sold extra time. It's all very anxiety inducing.

My Pitty story: the other day I was just sick of my hair and chopped off some of the front. Later upon passing a mirror I was shocked to discover that I know have a perfect Farrah Fawcett flippy bang thing going on. What are the chances this comes back into style this year?

Red, lol!

Madder, everything old is new again, right? Seriously, the fact that you wrote something similar to what's out at least suggests that you're good at picking ideas. The idea that got me my last agent was suggested by someone else. I suck at picking marketable ideas.

So I wrote back to one of the agents who R'd me with a question, and her response explains so much of why I'm getting conflicting signals on this WIP. It sucks, but it was actually great to get some clarification. (But trust me, the news is still bad enough for the Pit.)

So I just got back into querying over the weekend, and started working the list of agents at a really really BIG agency. Well, it must be Monday because I got the "no unsolicited ideas" eMail back. One down, 80 to go.

One of the cats peed all over one of our special-only-for-guests' slippers.

Not even Farrah hair can make me feel better about that.