Frustration
I've been battling a book since April, and I think it's time that I gave up on it. This book is going nowhere.
And I think I know why.
The book in question is supposed to be a gay historicalromance. Okay, no problem. I've written my fair share of slash. That's fine. I didn't doubt that I could handle the gay relationship. And I love history, so I didn't figure on that being a problem either.
The problem is that it's a romance. That is, the main focus is on the character's relationship.
I have never written a romance. Not original fic, not fanfic.
Oh, I've written slash and femslash, if not het. The most recent thing I've written is about a man realizing that he's bisexual and falling for another man. But--and I think this is relevant--the story with the bisexual guy involved a deeply convoluted plot concerning coming out, faeries, vampires, battles, gods and a trip to Valhalla. Both attraction and love were vital and moved the plot along...but it was more of an action-adventure story with a gay relationship than a gay romance. Even the story that was published in I Do! is an extremely plotty fairy tale.
And I think that's the issue. Even in pairing stories, my characters always have some kind of physical or emotional problem to grapple with. I don't know how to write something that is about the romance and nothing but the romance.
I have a plot for this thing, but the plot is not coming to life, and neither are the characters. I don't know why, but this isn't working, and it hasn't been working for months. I don't think I can do anything to fix it or make it more interesting. It feels dead in the water, and I've gotten to the point where I hate it.
It's frustrating. I really need to sell some stories and earn money. I should be able to do that. But this particular project is not working, damn it.
And I think I know why.
The book in question is supposed to be a gay historicalromance. Okay, no problem. I've written my fair share of slash. That's fine. I didn't doubt that I could handle the gay relationship. And I love history, so I didn't figure on that being a problem either.
The problem is that it's a romance. That is, the main focus is on the character's relationship.
I have never written a romance. Not original fic, not fanfic.
Oh, I've written slash and femslash, if not het. The most recent thing I've written is about a man realizing that he's bisexual and falling for another man. But--and I think this is relevant--the story with the bisexual guy involved a deeply convoluted plot concerning coming out, faeries, vampires, battles, gods and a trip to Valhalla. Both attraction and love were vital and moved the plot along...but it was more of an action-adventure story with a gay relationship than a gay romance. Even the story that was published in I Do! is an extremely plotty fairy tale.
And I think that's the issue. Even in pairing stories, my characters always have some kind of physical or emotional problem to grapple with. I don't know how to write something that is about the romance and nothing but the romance.
I have a plot for this thing, but the plot is not coming to life, and neither are the characters. I don't know why, but this isn't working, and it hasn't been working for months. I don't think I can do anything to fix it or make it more interesting. It feels dead in the water, and I've gotten to the point where I hate it.
It's frustrating. I really need to sell some stories and earn money. I should be able to do that. But this particular project is not working, damn it.