When is it time to stop working on a novel?

As with anything to do with the craft of writing, there are a lot of different answers, and the only answer you can count on is “it depends.”

But here are my thoughts on being Done, and how they work for me on contracted novels. To give some background, I just turned in the fourth novel I’ve completed. I rewrote my first completed novel twice before I submitted it anywhere; it never sold. Prior to my first completed novel, I spent quite a long time on two other novels that were never finished. I’ve had quite a few stages of Done.

There’s a saying that no novel is ever finished, only abandoned. When I abandon, the novel has reached its required wordcount and is complete in my mind; it has a shape and structure and feel to it that further tampering and small enhancements won’t substantially alter. It’s done with me and, just as importantly, I’m done with it. (Also, the deadline will have arrived. I’m good like that.)

There are ways I can tell I’m Done. These feelings vary from writer to writer, and the only way to recognize them is to finish something, preferably several somethings, and identify your sensations of doneness for yourself. (Nobody said this was easy!)

For example, when I have a complete manuscript of the appropriate wordcount, I might enter a fair number of line edits, tightening prose and clarifying sentences. I don’t count those things against being Done. Done means I won’t add any more scenes, or majorly change scenes. If I have ideas for changes to the story, it always turns out those changes can’t be accomplished without major restructuring, so I don’t make them. Those ideas are for some future project.

Being Done for me is also a multi-stage process, partly related to the publication schedule.

I’m done with a polished draft when I submit the manuscript to my editor; any substantial changes after that will be completed because of her suggestions. It does help to know that period of leeway is built in; it helps me to let go of that polished draft for the first time. I’m done again when I’ve finished the editor’s required revisions (and usually a few more of my own, that occurred to me in the intervening months).

Then there are the final line edits, which I will continue to work on until my brain is in the condition I call Empty. That is when I am really and truly most sincerely Done.

Empty means I can’t work on the novel anymore. Thinking about it leads to a feeling of calm peacefulness, a feeling that I’ve done all there is to be done. This isn’t true, of course, but when niggling thoughts arise, I brutally crush them. If you never submit the novel, it can never be published.

Finally, there can be a hard call that’s sometimes associated with that mental stage: sometimes I reach Empty when I’m not Done. And then I know, from experience, that it’s time to abandon the manuscript and move on, because I’ve learned all I can from it. At that point, I either start a rewrite from scratch, usually from a new angle, or begin another project. I’ve learned that if I dig away at a manuscript for too long, without making progress, that it’s likely it won’t sell, or will only sell with great difficulty. I don’t often reach that stage these days. I’ve studied my own process so I can start over before the novel goes too far in the wrong direction.

I think recognizing when I’m Done is a necessary stage of my writing process. If you’re never Done, you can’t move on to write something new and better.

To find out more about Victoria Janssen, go to: http://victoriajanssen.blogspot.com or http://www.victoriajanssen.com

I’ve been a published author for approximately seven years. Since I started to write, I’ve exploring subjects that intrigue, puzzle or upset me. Circles of Love was a book that examined a painful topic. For years I pondered the idea of having no clue as to  “where you came from”. The heroine in Circles of Love went in search of her mother after realizing she couldn’t marry the hero until she knew who she was. The story earned me a 4-1/2 Gold review from Romantic Times Book Club.

While negotiating my latest contract my editor suggested that I write connected books. I didn’t want to write about another large or extended family so I opted for stories connected by a large company. Living in the Detroit area, ideas swirled around the automobile companies since Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporations headquarters are all located in metro Detroit.

French-owned and operated Gautier’s International Motors was born after I rejected the ideas of the Detroit based companies. I had no idea that the auto industry would stall, fail or file for bankruptcy protection to stay in business and start new. Chrysler would offer the hand of partnership to Fiat and my little story would follow some of the events that marked the news in the Detroit area.

As an undergraduate student at Wayne State University ,I worked as a nursery aide at a day care center. Many of the parents also put in several hours a week of work to lower their tuition costs. One mother in particular stayed in my thoughts for years. Kim was the parent of two little girls, Heather and Sarah. Both girls were under the age of three.

I soon learned Kim was going through a bitter divorce with her husband, Bill. As part of their separation agreement, Bill had visitation rights for the girls every other weekend. One weekend Bill didn’t return and I later learned that he disappeared with Heather and Sarah and was never seen again.

Today, things are very different. We have laws and options that weren’t in place at that time. Amber alerts and the procedures used by the police to handle these cases are different. There is a great chance of a parent having their children returned to them.

That idea has haunted me over the years. The concept of losing your children for life seemed so painful and cruel. Never knowing if they were alive or dead was beyond anything I could comprehend.

When I became an author/writer this kidnapping was a topic that I wanted to explore and try to make sense of. Hence, I Can Make You Love Me began to take shape.

Let me know your thoughts on the subject. E-mail me at karenwowens@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you. Remember, don’t be a stranger.

You can find me on facebook and myspace, or check me out at my website: www.karenwhiteowens.com.