Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen.
I'm too sexy for Milan, too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan.
It's guys like you, Mickey.
Poor old Johnny Ray sounded sad upon the radio, he moved a million hearts in mono.
She's dressed in yellow, she says "Hello, come sit next to me, you fine fellow."
Aside from now being stuck in your head on an endless head:desk-inducing loop for the rest of the day, what do all these songs have in common? Yeah, one-hit wonders.
I'm not sure there's anything inherently wrong with being a one-hit wonder - to have achieved that level of success is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself. Though putting myself in (gag) Vanilla Ice's wing tips for even a moment, the pressure to repeat the success of your (double gag) masterpiece must have been acute, and the panic of being faced with the task of creating a second, equally as a reputable work as a follow...
Wait, who am I kidding? This is Vanilla Ice we're talking about. How's professional jet skiing treating you, buddy?
Bad 80's rappers aside, my point is valid. I've written what I think is a pretty good novel. I'm attempting to keep myself motivated as I painfully construct sequel outlines while I await my agent-requested revisions.
And I'm terrified that I will never, ever again have an original idea in my head which would lead to a new series of novels. Hell, I'm not even thinking about a good idea or an original idea. I'm literally talking about no idea at all. Nothing, nada. My brain? E finito.
Until this morning when I woke up with a new scene - or a very small part thereof - ringing my cerebral doorbell (it plays "Dixie" by the way... just like the General Lee).
Now, if only I can figure out a plot.
Well you talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it.
WOOHOO! yay Gretchen! I was in your shoes, albeit agentless, a few months ago when I started submitting my current novel and freaking about not having any ideas to write another. Your plot will come. As Lion King/Vader voice has said "If you build it, they will come." So, ya. Um, if you build it, the plot will come? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think ideas are kind of like boyfriends. When you want one, nothing happens. But then, when you're not looking for one, they pop up everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI always think of stuff when I'm listening to NPR or watching bad talk shows. Since you already have a scene, though, maybe those things wouldn't help.
BTW, how is PAPER TOWNS? I just read LOOKING FOR ALASKA and loved it!
I take a road trip once a month to do the kid-swap thing with my ex, and it's a 5 1/2 hour round trip. Yeah, fun. But that's where my ideas come, while on that mind numbing trip I could do blindfolded. The book I'm about to start came to me that way, just when I was finishing up this one and trotting down the road to query hell. Well...I should say I have the beginning and the end, and all the characters, but I don't have the middle. Guess I need another road trip!
ReplyDeleteSharla, I'm all about the long drive/book plotting, back and forth from LA to SF. Maybe I should take one of those soon...
ReplyDeleteJill, I just started before this crazy week exploded all over me. Ask me again in a few days...
The whole notion of a sequel boggles my mind. The ideas...pffft, I got plenty of them, but I always have the overwhelming urge to wrap them up in the one book. Of course, I haven't had sufficient motivation (agent and/or editor breathing down my neck) yet, either. You'll do fine. You're already cooler than Vanilla Ice. ;o)
ReplyDeleteLoooooooooooove the tunes! Totally sittin here noddin my head to talk about talk about talk about....thanks.
ReplyDeletehahah, I always sung that song as I'm too sexy for my man... ohh.... hahah, learn something new everyday!
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