“This one so completely sucked toads, I was ashamed even to be seen burning it.” – Jane Austen, speaking of the manuscript for her never-published book, Pride and Sensibility. (as far as you know.)
We all come to that pass, where nothing works to save an aspiring book. We hate to let them go. We try everything we can think of—change the plot lines, switch narrative perspectives, add sparkly vampire characters. Sadly, it just doesn’t measure up. You’ve poured your heart and soul and many hours of mouse-breaking labor into it, but it eventually becomes clear this one just won’t make it.
We hate when it happens. We blame ourselves. We tell ourselves a better writer could have saved it. Forgive yourself. Say a few words over it and move on.
Laurie Boris wrote the best eulogy for a manuscript I’ve ever seen. Click on over and pay your respects to the dearly departed. Then come back over here and take our poll.
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I have come close but so far not needed to go that far. I did have to begin fresh 1/3 of the way through my current work as the POV wasn’t working.
I have an attempted romance novel that’s excellent up to halfway then loses the plot completely (thanks, Nanowrimo!) but I’m not quite ready to give up on it yet. I pull it out every couple of years and sigh. Might take another crack at it once my current post-apocalyptic effort is in publication. Never say die!