The Seven Month Itch
Jul142010
There comes a time in every book when I suddenly realize I don’t want to write it any more. It’s not that it’s a bad book. In fact the stuff that I’ve already written is pretty damn good. But the unfortunate fact is that we’ve been together too long. We’ve grown apart. The spark isn’t there any more.
But over there is another book. It’s winking at me. It has a taut plot line and perky characters. It’s flexing its motifs and batting its subplots at me. I want it like I’ve never wanted any other book before.
But I made a commitment. I signed a piece of paper. I said, “I will be with you to the end.” It wouldn’t be fair to cheat on the book I’m in now. I loved it once. I wanted it desperately while I was writing the last book. “It’s not you,” I want to say to it. “It’s me.” And I drag myself back to it, yearning for the thrill of the new, stuck with the commitment to the old.
Maybe if I throw something new in the mix we can recapture that first passion. “How about a cat?” I say to it and it recoils. Some stories just aren’t cat stories, I understand that, but now it’s sitting in my computer muttering and casting me dark moments. I can’t have dark moments in this, it’s a comedy. You’d think I’d asked it to try an aardvark. “Lots of books have cats in them,” I tell it, but I know the trust is broken.
Meanwhile that other story would be all over a cat. I can tell. It’s got that look in its eye.
Serial monogamy is a lot harder in writing than it is in real life.
Filed in Writing
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54 Comments to 'The Seven Month Itch'
On July 14, 2010 at 12:49 pm Lois said...
omg!! I am laughing hysterically at my desk and can’t even share it with one!! I am so sorry for your plight! But stay strong and stick with your current book…it will be well worth it in the end! You can move on to the flirty new book soon…as they said in the repeat on “How I met your Mother” the other night, just “not right now”.
On July 14, 2010 at 12:52 pm kyrathered said...
The new book may just be a cheap tramp trying to lure you with its huge throbbing theme! Don’t trust it until you finish the book you are working on! I am in no way saying this just because I want another Crusie release ASAP. Really. Trust me.
On July 14, 2010 at 8:45 pm SueG said...
Cackling and the grandkid says, “What’s so funny, Grammy”? So…Kyrathered how do I answer that one. Har!
On July 14, 2010 at 1:10 pm CrankyOtter said...
I’m re-reading dogs and goddesses. You need to channel Shar and just finish!! Me, I channeled Abby and my air bed sprung a leak and I finally decided to buy a real adult mattress, only I went with the “deliver it in a week” plan, so I’ve been sleeping badly this week. Turns out the couch that my jet lagged guests claim is comfortable isn’t that comfortable. May you have some inspiration and fortitude to finish, even if you’ve already lined up your next date.
On July 14, 2010 at 2:24 pm Abby said...
I just spit up my coffee laughing at this fabulous blog entry. They think I’m crazy at work now, and it’s all your fault.
On July 14, 2010 at 3:40 pm Marge said...
The good news is that I work from home, so I can laugh hysterically, spit out whatever I’m drinking (no, I do NOT drink wine at my desk. Ought to sometimes..want to sometimes) and there is no one here to look at me as if I’ve finally gone ’round the bend.
On July 14, 2010 at 3:18 pm Tawna Fenske said...
God, you don’t know how great it is to hear you say this right now. I’m in the home stretch of the third book in my contract, just a few scenes and a few thousand words from completion of the first draft. But honest-to-dog, I’ve had mornings lately where I would rather scrub the mildew in my shower with a toothbrush than sit down and drag that @$#% book the rest of the way to the finish line.
Thanks for the reminder that it isn’t just me.
And that maybe I need an aardvark.
Tawna
On July 14, 2010 at 3:36 pm Marge said...
Honestly, reading your blog is as much fun as reading your books! Wait a minute – I didn’t really mean that!!!!! Please don’t stop writing books!!!! But still…the blog is a quick fix until you publish again..
On July 14, 2010 at 3:47 pm Carol said...
*rolling on the floor laughing*
Oh, I loved it! Even your blogs are gems.
On July 14, 2010 at 4:30 pm Terrio said...
You know, you have this other book coming out soon and it’s going to require you take it out on the town. You’ll have to dance it up and wine and dine it and make sure everyone sees it in all the best places. And when your feet hurt from the fancy heels and you can’t take one more fake smile or bad chicken dinner, you’ll have this book waiting for you at home. Who needs the new sparkle when you have that kind of comfort and loyalty?
On July 15, 2010 at 3:02 pm Naked Under My Clothes said...
Oh, I like this…that’s a good re-framing of the issue!
On July 14, 2010 at 4:31 pm Deborah Blake said...
There’s already a cat in my book. And I still don’t want to write it. On the third set of edits and I keep saying, “Maybe my agent and my CP’s are wrong, and I don’t *really* need to change this bit…” On account of I don’t wanna. The new book, though…shiny!
I don’t know whether to been encouraged or depressed that more experienced authors still deal with this. Argh.
On July 14, 2010 at 4:46 pm robena grant said...
That’s hilarious. I say ditch the cat and go with the aardvark.
On July 14, 2010 at 9:22 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
Gonna remember this next time I’m dragging myself kicking and screaming to the computer.
Love how you make everything funny. Laughter is jogging for the heart according to Bernie Siegel, MD. People reading your blog should have healthy hearts.
On July 14, 2010 at 9:37 pm Micki said...
“Haven’t you always wanted a monkey?” (from Barenaked Ladies “If I Had a Million Dollars.” Maybe the new book is like a toddler, and if it doesn’t want a cat, it might want a monkey. Or a parrot.
No wait, that’s just me. I want a parrot.
I am so tanked up on green tea right now, I shouldn’t even be operating a computer. But . . . this is why I don’t write. I let the story BULLY me into ignoring it. Maybe I should put on my kick-ass boots and another swig of green tea, and tackle that sucker (-:.
Where the hell do stories come from, anyway? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could offer it some wine and biscuits, and it would submit tamely to be . . . described? I can see why the idea of Muses was so attractive.
On July 14, 2010 at 9:39 pm Kelly S said...
I like cats.
On July 14, 2010 at 9:44 pm marly said...
I’ve laughed so hard my sides ache. That counts as exercise, doesn’t it? On top of this blog, I just finished Tanya Huff’s “Keeper” series – also extremely funny and so good I hated to reach the last page. And it has cats! Brilliant, amazing, sarcastic cats! Maybe you could up the cat stakes and your WIP would relent. It could be an allergy, though. Lots of WIP’s are allergic to cats.
On July 14, 2010 at 9:48 pm Skye said...
Oh, funny! Snorted and giggled until I had to read the first couple of paragraphs to Mom. Lovely.
On July 14, 2010 at 10:02 pm Merry said...
Keeping any relationship going strong requires some serious aardvark.
On July 14, 2010 at 10:10 pm Skye said...
And you shouldn’t cat about on your existing relationship.
On July 14, 2010 at 10:27 pm marly said...
Ha!! Groan….but Ha!
On July 14, 2010 at 10:29 pm marly said...
This was supposed to be under Merry’s “aardvark”. I’m not sure how it ended up here. But Skye, yours was pretty funny, too. Love to your mom.
On July 14, 2010 at 10:27 pm Jinx said...
My last ditch solution in school used to be writing the book report (and hence reading the book) backwards. It went faster, it built up constant curiosity (“gosh, who the heck is THIS character?” and it focused my attention on how X got to Y, and how W progressed to X, etc. Can you write a novel that way, maybe?
On July 15, 2010 at 12:39 am Jenny said...
I often write a novel that way. I start at X, move to Z, fool around in Y for awhile, rewrite X again . . .
Chronological order is a foreign country to me.
On July 14, 2010 at 10:53 pm Kate G said...
Oh yes. I’ve just gotten to that point myself. It happened sooner than expected. I was sure I had a couple of more months of the honeymoon phase. Rats.
And I already have a cat in there, and a sheep so I really can’t add anymore animals.
Oh, and Jinx, whenever I try to write backwards I get all confused and it takes forever to get the scenes into any kind of order. Of course I’m having that problem anyway and I started at the beginning and wrote mostly sequentially this time so who knows what would work for me!
On July 14, 2010 at 10:59 pm Rachel said...
Would the marketing dept like an aardvark on the cover?
On July 15, 2010 at 12:40 am Jenny said...
Oh, dear god, don’t even ask.
So far there’s a Yorkie in a pink suitcase. I’m trying to get it changed. A heroine of mine might have a Yorkie, but it would be a surly Yorkie.
On July 15, 2010 at 4:16 am Reb said...
Liz would not have a pink suitcase. A purple bear, yes, but not a pink suitcase.
On July 15, 2010 at 4:20 am Jenny said...
It’s not Liz. It’s Dennie from Trust Me On This. But she wouldn’t have a pink suitcase, either.
On July 14, 2010 at 11:13 pm Chris said...
You are truly an amazing and talented woman.
On July 15, 2010 at 12:40 am Jenny said...
Why, thank you.
Thank you to everyone who felt my trauma was funny. I do it ALL for YOU.
On July 15, 2010 at 10:26 am Skye said...
What is the point of trauma if not to make other people laugh? I mean, really!
On July 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm Kate said...
LOL! Of course you do DARLING – we know you live only to please us.
On July 15, 2010 at 1:42 am Merry said...
You are going to kick this book up its spine. I have no doubt.
We were just trying to make you feel better, make you smile.
Aardvark a million miles for one of your smiles um, yes, okay, I will stop now.
Honest.
On July 15, 2010 at 1:29 am Ericka said...
“batting its subplots at me…”
aww gods, that’s awesome. i NEEDED that laugh. thank you!
(and i disagree – you need to include a kiwi. bird, not fruit. they are so cute and i want one and no one i know who’s been to new zealand was willing to smuggle one back for me. endangered schmendangered. they’re cute and i want one. so you should put it in a book. totally makes sense to me. i need sleep. and a kiwi.)
On July 15, 2010 at 4:18 am Reb said...
I’m an NZer and have you seen the claws on those things? They might be cute but I wouldn’t want to share a bed with one.
And no, I can’t send one off to you FedEx.
On July 15, 2010 at 4:20 am Jenny said...
It’s not polite to toy with people.
On July 17, 2010 at 1:51 am Micki said...
Adorable with sharp claws? Sounds VERY Crusie-esque. (-: I know that’s why I keep re-reading Faking It. (One of the reasons . . . .)
On July 15, 2010 at 8:03 pm Ami said...
Didn’t Lani already write that book?
On July 15, 2010 at 2:11 am pennyoz said...
Go on! Maybe you need a break from it. Some distance. Maybe you’ve painted yourself into a corner and this is the story trying to tell you you need distance.
Start your new charactrs and get out the kitty litter.
Be a writer whore like you really always wanted to be and have a fling with your new characters. Maybe you won’t like them and go back to ye olde faithfull.
One of my stories uses a Macaw with a big mouth. A wiseguy. Trouble with cats is they have to be wise. Whereas a dog can be just everything. This is speaking with the memory of a Burmese Red who ruled my life.
I am supposed to be editing and I’m like a housewife trying to ignore the carpet needs vacuuming.
On July 15, 2010 at 3:08 am Jenny said...
Well, the problem is that the current book is six weeks overdue. So no, I can’t cheat. But thanks for encouraging me to go to the dark side (g).
On July 15, 2010 at 8:25 am Renee said...
Reading this post reminds me why I wish you wrote faster. I get so much enjoyment and laughter from reading your words. I would be happy with a new Crusie every month. I realize that’s a bit much, but still the heart wants what it wants.
I hope you and the book can kiss and make up, or at the very least find a way to tolerate each other a bit longer. But in the meantime, WRITE, WRITE FASTER lol.
On July 15, 2010 at 8:50 am denisetwin said...
aardvark! YAY go Aadrvark! oh wait that probably isn’t helping…
Love your blog!
On July 22, 2010 at 9:28 pm Jenny said...
Thank you!
On July 15, 2010 at 10:06 am McB said...
Not a writer, but I do know this feeling. I fall desperately in love with a new yarn and/or pattern. I am inspired to create. I can’t wait to start and set aside quality time each day to devote to getting to know it better. All is wonderful until about half way along when I start thinking about that frisky little fiber blend that I saw in the next bin when I was at the store. And secretly I admit that while I really do love the useful, go anywhere cardigan I’m working on, I’ve always had a yet to explore charted territory with a sassy, lace-weight, angora shawl in a color that goes with absolutely nothing else I own.
On July 15, 2010 at 5:18 pm Jenny said...
This is why my WIP on Ravelry is so large. ARGH.
On July 15, 2010 at 10:29 am Mary Stella said...
Romancing the novel. Love it.
I can picture a manuscript on legs walking over an air grate and fluttering it’s pages at you.
Obviously I didn’t get enough sleep last night if I’m picturing walking books.
On July 15, 2010 at 3:18 pm Sure Thing said...
This sort of writing is why I love you. Really.
On July 15, 2010 at 11:54 pm Skye said...
Jenny, forget the writer’s retreat — just start the Crusie Commune. *We* would pay *you*. Sure, you could dole out nuggets of Writer Sutra. But we could buy you gold cadillacs (or iPhone v4s). We would all learn to crochet the Jenny fuzzy boa. We would all learn to corral bats. Do you see the beauty in this system? (Hmm. I really must rethink my own career path, actually. What kind of job pays a person to think this stuff up?)
On July 16, 2010 at 12:12 am Jenny said...
Publishing.
On July 16, 2010 at 12:39 am Skye said...
Oh fine. Just make it difficult. Couldn’t it be something that pays better, like Marketing?
On July 16, 2010 at 1:08 pm Jacie said...
Another “Thanks for posting this”. I really do appreciate your openness in sharing your process, your successes, and your frustrations as you write.
I’m scrambling to finish my first draft before the revision class this September, and I’ve already started outlining the characters for my next manuscript. And I LOVE them. They are funny and excited and sexy, and there is always something new to learn about them.
These characters that I’ve been writing about – I’ve been on the journey with them for a long time (almost 20 years of “thinking”, 9 months of writing). I know all of their secrets. I know how it all turns out. And while I know that I love the characters in my current draft deeply, it takes some much more effort to keep it new and exciting and fresh and…
OMG. I just described my marriage.
(Except for the “new and tempting on the side”. There’s no one else I currently know that’s even worth straightening my skirt or re-brushing my hair – which probably explains why I flirt with new stories instead.)
Hopefully the revision class will rekindle my passion for my current story. I really do love the characters, and they deserve the absolute best that I can give them.
On July 19, 2010 at 6:55 pm mary kay andrews said...
I am so there.
On July 19, 2010 at 8:36 pm Jenny said...
Poor baby. I feel your pain.