Feels like an inevitable Rejection

mentacle

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I've been struggling with my manuscript. It's not very marketable because it's Paranormal Rom YA... I've heard that market's pretty saturated. Some interest, but it flailed at acquisitions.
On sub no one bit, except for one editor, who asked for an RnR. So I revised, sent it off, only to receive more RnR. The first round of revisions strengthened the work. Not sure about the second round, I'm still processing it. Frankly I'm getting sick of looking at the manuscript or even thinking about it, especially with no guarantees of acceptance. I'm starting to get tunnel vision from all the changes. Thinking of putting it away for a couple of months to get fresh perspective and starting something new in the meantime, but would that seem like I'm abandoning the manuscript, to the editor? I feel like it has such a slim chance on the market anyway. I know I'll change my mind in a day or two, but it just seems like so much energy right now.
Also, I probably just need a refresher, a palate cleanser. What's the writing equivalent of a mid-course sorbet?
 

Helix

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Mid-course sorbet = write something new. I know that sounds a bit trite, but it does work. Especially if it's something short enough to complete between courses.
 

Shoeless

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You can either take a break from writing entirely--for a short while--or try writing completely unrelated short stories or novellas.

I have mixed success with the latter alternative, because every time I do it, it turns into a novel anyway...
 

Fuchsia Groan

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Have you finished the second round of revisions and sent it off to the editor? Is this an editor at a publishing house (I tend to assume so, since you mentioned acquisitions)? Would you want to be published by them? Are you working with an agent? All those things are factors in whether you switch to writing something new right now.

But if you’re done with revisions and just waiting to hear back, then absolutely write something new. Try writing whatever your heart desires for a bit—it helps. I’ve been through a process like this with a publisher, long and drawn out with no guarantees, and writing a different book helped me immeasurably. Whenever I got notes, I started revising immediately, but once that revision was done and it was time to wait again, I switched to my other book.
 
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Samscript

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I know what you mean but in a different context. I had a screenplay in development for 14 months, countless rewrites. By the end, I had no attachment to the script. I was just going through the motions, doing whatever they asked. Of course, it was a No by the end.

I would take a break from the novel for a month. I'd mess around with a new project, probably just light outlining or something. And then, I would do the second RnR. You've put so much work into it, you might as well see it through. The only exception to this would be if I didn't want my debut to be this novel, or I didn't like the publisher. In which case, it's time to trunk.
 

mentacle

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Hmmm. I did take one more crack at outlining it, this time skewing it to a much younger audience, with the accompanying plot changes. Thanks guys. Let's see what they say. The problem was that I really liked my initial solutions to the RnR, but feel lukewarm about their revisions to RnR 2.
 

mentacle

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I've tweaked it- less killing, more "capturing". Hoping to tweak the entire manuscript for a younger audience, so the part about sentience might not go through to the final draft.
 

mentacle

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Thanks! I put it away for a couple of days (had a panic attack over it) then the idea to rewrite it in a different category suddenly popped up.
 

mentacle

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Yeah, the revisions left me...lukewarm. I didn't get whether it was just fatigue or I genuinely wasn't feeling them. But you're right, I'll see it through to the end.