Why do writers quit?
-
A landscape architect decides to write a novel. Actually, he writes a series of novels. For the first couple, he even loads the chapters up on a prepper board and lets people pick them apart. He makes a few revisions.
The premise: Prepper fiction or doomsday fiction, take your pick. The first three novels center on a family in Washington state, trying to survive after an eruption of Mt. Rainer and subsequent earthquake. Because of the natural disaster, the Chinese take the opportunity to try to invade Taiwan and use Mexican terrorist cells, along with Chinese assets, to create confusion and random terrorist acts around the United States. The guy even has a plotline about a flu virus, engineered in Guangdong Province, that China accidently releases in their own country and around the world (virus is a Spanish Flu variant), which has an almost 30% mortality rate. Between the natural disaster, the Taiwan War and the Guangdong Flu, the economy of the U.S. collapses (Great Depression 2), causing an eventual small civil war.
His protagonist is a guy in his late 40's, college educated, who is the majority partner in a firm of urban planner and architects. The guy is a prepper and becomes the leader of his family (his wife and two kids, sister's family (4 total) and a good friend's family (3 total). The story is a first-person narrative.
The guy can tell a good story. His biggest problem is that his protagonist is too good, always coming up with a good answer, always having the right resource. But with the services of a decent editor, I thought the guy had something.
The author:
T.C. Sherry. https://www.spvv.com/about/
The books:
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Winter-Thomas-Sherry-ebook/dp/B004J171BC?ref_=ast_author_mpb
That book was published in 2007, although it had been in the works a few years earlier.
The first three books are all from Rick Drummond's (protagonist) viewpoint. The fourth book is actually the start of another 3-volume story arc, set in the same scenario, but told through a different location, a different protagonist and with a hint of science fiction. It was published in 2018, but it was started at the end of 2009.
The gentleman has published nothing since 2018. He's obviously still working at his primary job and I believe he's still healthy for his age.
So why quit? Especially 1/3 of the way through a new story arc?
-
A landscape architect decides to write a novel. Actually, he writes a series of novels. For the first couple, he even loads the chapters up on a prepper board and lets people pick them apart. He makes a few revisions.
The premise: Prepper fiction or doomsday fiction, take your pick. The first three novels center on a family in Washington state, trying to survive after an eruption of Mt. Rainer and subsequent earthquake. Because of the natural disaster, the Chinese take the opportunity to try to invade Taiwan and use Mexican terrorist cells, along with Chinese assets, to create confusion and random terrorist acts around the United States. The guy even has a plotline about a flu virus, engineered in Guangdong Province, that China accidently releases in their own country and around the world (virus is a Spanish Flu variant), which has an almost 30% mortality rate. Between the natural disaster, the Taiwan War and the Guangdong Flu, the economy of the U.S. collapses (Great Depression 2), causing an eventual small civil war.
His protagonist is a guy in his late 40's, college educated, who is the majority partner in a firm of urban planner and architects. The guy is a prepper and becomes the leader of his family (his wife and two kids, sister's family (4 total) and a good friend's family (3 total). The story is a first-person narrative.
The guy can tell a good story. His biggest problem is that his protagonist is too good, always coming up with a good answer, always having the right resource. But with the services of a decent editor, I thought the guy had something.
The author:
T.C. Sherry. https://www.spvv.com/about/
The books:
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Winter-Thomas-Sherry-ebook/dp/B004J171BC?ref_=ast_author_mpb
That book was published in 2007, although it had been in the works a few years earlier.
The first three books are all from Rick Drummond's (protagonist) viewpoint. The fourth book is actually the start of another 3-volume story arc, set in the same scenario, but told through a different location, a different protagonist and with a hint of science fiction. It was published in 2018, but it was started at the end of 2009.
The gentleman has published nothing since 2018. He's obviously still working at his primary job and I believe he's still healthy for his age.
So why quit? Especially 1/3 of the way through a new story arc?
@Jolly said in Why do writers quit?:
So why quit? Especially 1/3 of the way through a new story arc?
Some of 'em choke, like Patrick Rothfuss. Wrote the most celebrated new fantasy series of a decade and he couldn't finish it.
Others feel they write themselves into a corner, or get jaded because they got into it for the wrong reasons.
Still others get their shot with a publisher, the first is not an immediate success—the only kind of success that the industry has the patience for—and so they don't get backing for the follow-up.
All kinds of reasons, all depressing. I wish they wouldn't.
-
Just thought it was a shame. The guy needed a good editor, but the first three books (especially the first two) had a good storyline, believable and assorted characters and he writes decent dialogue (which isn't always easy). I think there's some talent there, if somebody wanted to nurture it.
The books aren't marvelous, but if tightened up, would be as good as many much better-selling authors.
-
Now, for somebody much better at their craft, and more well known...
After creating an entire world, why has J.K. Rowling not returned to the Potterverse? Oh, there's been a play and some input on a couple of movie scripts, but where is the next arc of novels? It doesn't have to be a bildungsroman, it could be most anything...A spy novel. Or an adventure in the Far East. A war novel.
You could set almost anything in the Potterverse.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
-
Now, for somebody much better at their craft, and more well known...
After creating an entire world, why has J.K. Rowling not returned to the Potterverse? Oh, there's been a play and some input on a couple of movie scripts, but where is the next arc of novels? It doesn't have to be a bildungsroman, it could be most anything...A spy novel. Or an adventure in the Far East. A war novel.
You could set almost anything in the Potterverse.
@Jolly said in Why do writers quit?:
Now, for somebody much better at their craft, and more well known...
After creating an entire world, why has J.K. Rowling not returned to the Potterverse? Oh, there's been a play and some input on a couple of movie scripts, but where is the next arc of novels? It doesn't have to be a bildungsroman, it could be most anything...A spy novel. Or an adventure in the Far East. A war novel.
You could set almost anything in the Potterverse.
Her universe is actually a bit silly. I loved the HP books for what they were, but I don't really need to read a spy thriller with wizards. I think the school is the thing she created that is interesting, not the larger world. The books were at their best in the school, I didn't really think it worked as well when they left it.
-
After J. S. Bach is done with the 24 Preludes and Fugues, he's done with the Well-Tempered Klavier series. No body really questions why J. S. Bach didn't return to and write more to expand the Well-Tempered Klavier series.
Nobody asks Wagner to extend the Ring cycle.
Why should the writers be subject to different expectations?
-
After J. S. Bach is done with the 24 Preludes and Fugues, he's done with the Well-Tempered Klavier series. No body really questions why J. S. Bach didn't return to and write more to expand the Well-Tempered Klavier series.
Nobody asks Wagner to extend the Ring cycle.
Why should the writers be subject to different expectations?
@Axtremus said in Why do writers quit?:
After J. S. Bach is done with the 24 Preludes and Fugues, he's done with the Well-Tempered Klavier series. No body really questions why J. S. Bach didn't return to and write more to expand the Well-Tempered Klavier series.
Well, he did do it again.
-
I may be completely wrong, but in my thinking, musicians and writers are similar in who makes it to the top. Talent for sure, but there is also some luck.
I am sure that there are many talented writers (and musicians) who are not at the right place at the right time and just dont get the break they need to become popular.
