The Endings You Don't Expect #IWSG
Happy August! Hope you're all doing well. Going to get right to the IWSG question of the month:
Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? For example, a positive and belated response to a submission you'd forgotten about or an ending you never saw coming?
Ah yes, the ending I never saw coming. I'm pretty sure I wrote about this here back when it was happening...or maybe soon after I recovered from it. The year was 2013, and I was getting lots of push-back from my publisher during the editing of my angel story.
I dealt with the blows as they came and made the edits, overall feeling like the process was going well. Nothing important to me was lost, and I knew my editor was helping me better speak to a romance-reading audience. But then, after telling myself repeatedly that it was all going to be okay, at the 11th hour, I received a HUGE, dastardly email from the small pub's owner.
She explained that the book's publishing "team"---of which I was apparently not a part---had decided that I needed to completely rewrite the ending. My lead had to end up with SOMEBODY TOTALLY DIFFERENT! It wasn't a suggestion. It was a demand.
I will always be grateful that my daughter had pink eye that day.
Her doctor appointment kept me from firing back a response while I was still hot. The drive to the clinic helped me consider possibilities for making a new ending work. My quiet time with nothing to do in the waiting room allowed me to noodle through the specifics.
By the time we got home and popped the drops into my daughter's eyes, I was itching to start typing it all out. Rather than fight a losing battle with the publisher, my energies were redirected toward crafting a new ending that I'm actually pretty happy with.
Though...if ever I get my rights back and republish, I will totally pull a "choose your own ending" and include both the original ending and the new.
Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? For example, a positive and belated response to a submission you'd forgotten about or an ending you never saw coming?
Ah yes, the ending I never saw coming. I'm pretty sure I wrote about this here back when it was happening...or maybe soon after I recovered from it. The year was 2013, and I was getting lots of push-back from my publisher during the editing of my angel story.
I dealt with the blows as they came and made the edits, overall feeling like the process was going well. Nothing important to me was lost, and I knew my editor was helping me better speak to a romance-reading audience. But then, after telling myself repeatedly that it was all going to be okay, at the 11th hour, I received a HUGE, dastardly email from the small pub's owner.
She explained that the book's publishing "team"---of which I was apparently not a part---had decided that I needed to completely rewrite the ending. My lead had to end up with SOMEBODY TOTALLY DIFFERENT! It wasn't a suggestion. It was a demand.
I will always be grateful that my daughter had pink eye that day.
Her doctor appointment kept me from firing back a response while I was still hot. The drive to the clinic helped me consider possibilities for making a new ending work. My quiet time with nothing to do in the waiting room allowed me to noodle through the specifics.
By the time we got home and popped the drops into my daughter's eyes, I was itching to start typing it all out. Rather than fight a losing battle with the publisher, my energies were redirected toward crafting a new ending that I'm actually pretty happy with.
Sometimes the weeds bear pretty flowers.
How about you---have you ever been thrown for
a writing loop that ended up working out for the best?
This post is part of the:
Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds. This wonderful group for writers was begun by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavannaugh.
This month's awesome co-hosts:
Comments
Including both endings in the future? Fun!
I have learned no matter what, wait to respond to emails. Otherwise I am likely to shoot something off that I'll regret.
Love,
Janie
I guess it depends on how strongly you feel about the required changes. Sometimes, the editor's demands are justified, but other times, they just reflect her personal preferences.