It's Hard Getting Back Into an Old Project

My nature is to avoid redoing anything. When a project is new, it's exciting; the possibilities are wide open. Redoing is drudgery. I already know the ultimate outcome, so there are no surprises.

I'm confident I can turn my third novel into a decent enough book, which seems to be all I can hope for at this point. In fact, that should be my trademark: "She's a decent enough writer." But I won't kid myself that it wouldn't require a shi*-ton of work. I've mentioned before that there's a lot of good in the story, but there's also a lot of bad. 

Last night as I was mulling over my Meta ad failure, my mind drifted to how I might proceed with my other novel's revisions. I mean, gosh, I've already rewritten seven whole paragraphs! And I haven't been back since. 

If I cut out all the back story (which definitely needs to go) and the dreaded subplot, I will be left with another novella. And those have worked out great for me! 🙄 So, no, I won't be doing another novella.

It's not that I don't know how to write the story better. I have definitely acquired much better skills in the five years since the novel was finished. I know a whole lot more about pacing, for one. I know that the story needs to promise something from the start, not ease its way into it and expect people to keep reading. 

But I'm just not feeling it.  

In order to be interested, I'd need to add something new. Trouble is, my synapses aren't firing well. Sometimes I can't even remember why I opened the refrigerator door. 

Then there's the motivation factor. That's the biggest hurdle. It would be easier if I believed there was some kind of reward waiting for me at the end, but other than seeing my book on Amazon's shelves (whose gleam wears off quickly), I certainly can't imagine one.

But never say never, I guess. A spark could ignite. I think I'll just sit here and wait for that to happen.