Shelving a Book
When I finished the sequel to A Guilty Man Walks, I was first and foremost excited to have completed a full length novel! Waiting through the month I gave myself to refill the well before editing was torturous but then the day was here. Editing was going well but there was A LOT of work to be done.
And then, about midway through my first round of editing, it hit me. This is not a story that needs to be told right now.
I am strongly of the mindset that when you write something (be it a novel, a text, or a Tweet), I need to make sure that A) it needs to be said, B) it needs to be said now, and C) it needs to be said by me. I had A and I had C, but B hit me hard. As much as I love the adventures of Margo and Mike, the next story I had written for them doesn’t need to be told at this time. In fact, I didn’t and don’t feel that I can put my heart in that story right now.
So I faced a dilemma I thought was unique to me - having to face shelving a book. I mean, I had already published one novella in the series, didn’t that mean I was failing by shelving the next and moving onto a different project?
No! Abosultely not!
If you haven’t already, let me introduce you to author Alexa Donne. Alexa is a YA author and also a YouTuber offering advice on writing and traditional publishing. Needless to say, I’m a big fan! There’s very few people whose writing advice I sing praises about, but Alexa is definitely a diamond in the ruff! And lucky for me, Alexa had already covered the topic of shelving a book.
Also lucky for me, it’s COMPLETELY NORMAL!!
Not only is it normal, it’s actually healthy! Recognizing when a project isn’t working, for whatever reason, and putting it down to focus on another project allows authors to grow and practice their skills! Because, let’s be honest, every time we put pen to paper it’s not going to be the next great American novel.
I could speak more on the topic, but I think Alexa says it best. See below for her YouTube video on shelving a book and, while you’re at it, check out her channel!
For those looking forward to another chapter in the Mike and Margo series, I’m sorry that you’ll have to wait a little longer. I have not given up on the characters I love so much, but rather hope to revisit the sequel in the near future. I thank you again for supporting me in my writing career. Please keep an eye out for my next project - soon to be announced.
Alexa Donne’s YouTube video:
