Comments Addison Fox says: Vivi: I have to echo Darynda’s thoughts – what an awesome post! And so very, very true – we have to constantly look forward. I am always amazed how our writing life is really a mirror for the rest of our lives. In life, as in the writer’s life, looking forward is essential for progress, for growth and for our own long term vitality. Now….to the subject of SERENGETI STORM – no doubt demons allowed, girlfriend, because it will be AWESOME!!!! Addison PS You’re so right, Addison. I’m amazed too by the reflection of real life on our writing life and vice-versa. And thanks for your kind words about SS. I’m just so dang nervous!  rita says: Brilliant post and very timely for me. thank you  Tamara Hogan says: The biggest weight I feel right now is writing a second book – under contract and on a timeline – when I’ve only done it once before. And I’m writing in a bit of a vacuum right now. I haven’t started working with my editor on revisions to my first book yet, and I sold my second and third books as part of a series synopsis. I have only the vaguest sense of what my editor sees as the strengths in my writing, and what changes she’s going to request. So right now I’m writing on instinct, with what I know of the craft, and with what I feel is my voice. Gotta trust your voice. I couldn’t agree more, Tamara. You have to trust your writing instincts. You’ll know more from your editor soon, but in the mean time you have to remember that – as both a reader and a writer – you know what makes books good. You can make book two stellar and then later apply her editorial genius to make it shine even more. You got this, chica. I so needed this Viv! I’m definitely in the doldrums of “why is it so hard this time around?” I’m revising right now and all I can do is have faith that every time I revise, the manuscript gets a little better. Congrats and good luck on the upcoming release! I’m sure fans of Serengeti Heat will flock to read Serengeti Storm. It can only get bigger and better from here. My answer to “why is it so hard this time” is that now there is more at stake. Now we have something to live up to (or live down). But like I said to Tammy above – you’ve got the instincts. You know what makes a book good. Trust yourself and that book will rock. Vivi, this is such an insightful, thoughtful post. It would be nice if we could pinpoint the best elements of our stories, extract them, and bottle them for use in future manuscripts . . . but I guess it doesn’t work that way. All we can do is write the best story we know how each time. Good luck with your upcoming release and don’t worry–I’m sure you didn’t pull a Desperate Housewives. I want to see Nine now too. Thanks for the great post! Thanks, Anne. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was just a simple 1+2=3 equation we had to learn? Why does there have to be an X factor muddying the math? I’m one of those obnoxious people who always want to know why. Why is one book great and another just good? Why did that book final and that one not? Why is that one popular and that one tanking? The damn X factor is ruining all my nice, neat, logical equations!  Kate Parker says: So true, Vivi. Why do some series go on and on successfully, while others lose the spark. Perhaps the secret is not to look back. The best series reinvent themselves at every turn, while keeping the spark at their core. Wow. Now, if only I could take my own advice. Much easier to say than to do. Exactly, Kate! Reinvention! I love Nalini Singh and Kresley Cole because the overarching story lines drag the series forward into new types of conflict, even as the established rules of the world define the relationships within. They never feel stale. (And the writing is brilliant, which helps!)  Elisa Beatty says: I like the way you describe why those books work: the larger story line creating NEW CONFLICT. That seems critical. How did you know what I was thinking, Vivi? How can I recreate the magic I found with Pleasant Lake, that I can’t seem to duplicate with anything else I write? It all comes down to branding. I’m no cow. Do I want to be branded as writer X? Do I want to be stuck in Pleasant Lake forever? Or do I want to lose my reader by changing my MO before I have become their “must read” author? Cyber scream! I have a dark twisted side. I have a serious side. I don’t always feel funny.  Diana Layne says: use different pen names. I suppose I would if I could get someone moderatly interested in anything else I write. I’m right there with you, Kelly. Branding makes me want to scream. I’ve got two very different paranormal series and a couple unpubbed contemporary romances and I worry that my brand is too diluted. And why, if I’m certain the comtemps are the best books, can’t I get them published? (Though admittedly I haven’t been submitting them as much as I should.) It can be frustrating for an ecclectic writer when one book breaks first and it isn’t the one you think is the best (or most fun to write) but that doesn’t mean your other books won’t catch up and surpass it. Pleasant Lake hit first, but it will not be your last or biggest success, I don’t think. Who knows what you will be known for? Maybe Kelly Fitzpatrick novels will be known as dark and angsty. Like Darynda said, time will tell. I’m with you. ladies on this one. I love to write light romantic comedy and romantic suspense. I have books in both genres releasing this year and I’m very anixous to see which will be recieved better.  Liz Talley says: Ah, this resonates with me. I just started book three this past week. Book two is marinating and I fear it’s utter crap. I still love my first book so much that it makes the second seem so…boring. Isn’t that a horrible thing to say? But I feel that way. So you are not alone. And I’m going to take the advice from the movie and move forward. Look ahead. Great post! Thanks, Liz! It’s always nice to be reminded there are others in the trenches with us. I recently turned in a novella to my editor and I felt like it had to be pried out of my hands. Technically I knew it was a good story, but in my head it just didn’t sing the way the previous ones in that series had for me. I hope it was just because it was newer and hadn’t gotten quite such a firm foothold in my heart yet. The others have had longer to build up my affection for them. (Rejections make the heart grow fonder, perhaps?) Diana Layne says: Hey, all, Vivi, I did find the ads for Nine quite fascinating when I went to see Blindside. And love your thought provoking post. I just finished reading Story and wow, does McKee take that somehow elusive concept of creating and break it down into concepts you can use! I tried to read it before and zoned out b/c there are some things I already knew; however this time I read it in conjunction with my accountability partner and stuck with it through the end and the last chapter–wow! Really did it for me. I’m also taking a Holly Lisle course where she’s breaking things down step by step. So far I’ve just printed the stuff b/c I was working on Story but now I’m ready to dive in and learn her techniques. And I’m no novice writer, mind you, I am a former contest diva; however, I kept feeling like there was something elusive that I was totally missing and so I have gone back to studying and studying and finally I feel like I’m starting to grasp that elusiveness a little more firmly. Point being, if you feel shaky, yes, definitely keep writing, but also be open to broadening your perspective and keep studying too! Thanks Vivi! If you figure out what the elusiveness is, please tell me, Diana! I’m dying to know what the X factor that makes books really shine is. I know it’s there. I can sense it, but whenever I try to break it down into parts, that elusive X factor vanishes. So if you manage to pin it down, you must share!  Shoshana Brown says: What a great post, Vivi. Even without the pressures of a contract and deadline, I have some of the same issues. What has helped me is to take the time to do a detailed synopsis and outline before I jump in and start writing a manuscript, so I have a better idea whether the idea I’m so excited about is strong enough to support a whole manuscript. Wishing you many sales for Serengeti Storm. Shoshana Good strategy, Shoshana. I dread synopsis writing at the end of a book, but at the beginning it can really help us get jazzed and focused, can’t it? Thank you for your wishes regarding SS. Fingers crossed. I entered the GH again this year and I’m surprised by how much more I want it this time around. This new book is so different from anything I’ve ever written–darker, edgier–and while I love it, I’m worried that readers won’t get it. But, like you said, “look forward”. I can’t worry about what I’ve done in the past and whether this new book is too different, or I won’t write the book. And if I don’t write the book, I’ll never know where it might lead. If we don’t worry at all, then we don’t want it badly enough, right? And there’s definitely a market for edgy and dark. Fingers crossed for your repeat GH success this year, Cynthia. Hey, Vivi, I know exactly what you’re saying. The Doubt Demons have me second guessing everything I write these days. I can feel the magic in some stories, but I can’t place my finger on exactly what the formula for that magic is. Like my muse, it’s either there or it isn’t. I’m always writing and will continue to pursue the dream, learning as much as I can in the process. However, some days, I think I wrote more magic before I learned all the rules! Hi Misty! On the magic before you knew the rules – exactly! Was I just deluded before to feel like such a rockstar? Or does knowing the rules actually suck the magic out of the writing process? I always want to learn more about writing, but can I reserve the right to selectively unlearn things that might derail me? Some days I wish for a Staples button that would purge my doubt. Lol. Misty, You’re so right. Not knowing the rules certainly made it easier to write a story, but do you think it was magic on the page or pride that the pages were filled? I look back at my earlier writings and wonder what was I thinking. Vivi, I think knowing the rules only makes the writer aware when the magical muse has shown up.  Elise Hayes says: A timely post, Vivi! I just started revising my new GH manuscript yesterday. I still love the first 50 pages that I entered (fortunately!), but the rest is complete and utter crap right now. I’m trying to change my writing to focus more on characterization and the emotional journeys of my characters, and it’s just *hard* (I’m action/plotting girl, NOT character girl). I got there with the first 50 pages, but I’m finding the revisions to the next 350 (which, I now see, will essentially be a complete rewriting of the manuscript) really, really daunting. So forget about recreating success in book #2–I’m still working on sustaining success in this book. Argh! Revisions can be a bear, but it sounds like you know what you want to do with it – which is the first step. My old GH manuscript needs a revision from page 50 on and I’ve been putting off doing it. One of my New Year’s Goals is to actually make it rock all the way to The End. We can pace one another. Elisa Beatty says: Great advice, Vivi! And congrats on Serengeti Heat doing so well–I think that’s a great springboard for Serengeti Storm (AND Serengeti Storm is WRITTEN AND ABOUT TO BE OUT THERE, so you’ve already completed the next big leap!!) I’m just now trying to finish my second book, which is very different from my GH book from last year… There’s the “branding” pressure, and then there’s also the “debut with a series” pressure, since three books in quick succession seems to be de rigeur these days. I learned from a romance writer who just released her third three-book series (each series was a three-books-in-three-consecutive-months thing) that, even with a debut author, bookstores make a much bigger commitment to purchase when three books are coming out back-to-back, since there’ll almost surely be repeat buyers if the first book does reasonably well. That big advance order is what drove her books onto the NYT bestseller list from the very start. Great for her, but EEEEEEK!!!! The three book series does seem to be the trend at the moment. As a reader, I like both stand-alones and series, but from the bookstore/publisher perspective I can see where series would be appealing. Always looking for the reliable sale. HUGS! Follow-up’s are always the hardest! Sometimes I think it’s harder to series write than write stand-alone novels. Having said that, I firmly believe Serengeti Storm totally rocks and does nothing but improve upon the world you introduced in Serengeti Heat. On the relative difficulty of series vs. stand alones – the first one in a series is always easy, I think. It isn’t until you have to keep obeying the rules of your world in books two and three and four that things get tricky. Oh, I know this has been on my mind. I’m editing my next RS and I constantly wonder will the story be a let down after Evil’s Witness. An evil insecure demon sits on my shoulder and prompts me to polish again, and again. I need to shake him off soon and move on. Death to insecurity demons! You can do it, Autumn. Trust yourself and look forward. Happy New Year! Great insights, Vivi. I think it’s important to not rest on your laurels because that’s when laziness sets in. Stay hungry (she says while eating chocolate). Have I used enough cliches? My hubby’s in music, so I’m also aware of the “sophomore album blues.” If the follow-up album isn’t as catchy as the first or if it’s a huge departure stylistically, you can lose a chunk of your fan base. There’s constant pressure to remain relevant.
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Oh, this is an awesome post, Vivi! I so worry about this same thing. My editor loves my first ms in a series I’m working on so much, what if I can’t do it again? What if it was a fluke? What if book two sucks? Book three?
I don’t worry about it constantly, or stew in my own insecurities, but it is there, in the back of my head. I can only do what I can do. I think I have the elements of a good book down, the twists and turns that makes a ms un-put-down-able. Then again…how do we ever really know?
I guess time will tell.
Darynda,
I’m glad you aren’t consumed by insecurities. I wish I could tell you how to get rid of that shadow in the back of your mind, but maybe we need it? Maybe that little flicker of nervous doubt is part of what gives us the determination to write a rockstar book every time.
I have confidence that time will tell that books two and three were just as un-put-downable as #1 – and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Good luck!