In and out of love...

My friend, and sure-to-be-award-winning-novelist, has hit the point with one of her pieces where she's disenchanted. She wants to try new things. She doesn't love the characters. She isn't exactly sure where the plot is going. And she decided a few weeks ago to put the novel down and take a few months off to work on new projects and then come back.

She posted this today:

Y'know, this is like one of those relationships where you know you should break up with the person, and you do, but then you remember how charmingly he smiles, and how sweet he is when you're in a bad mood, and the way he always stands up for his principles and is one of the most honorable people you know. But then when you're back together you remember how much you hate his family and he's just like his dad when he gets mad, and he's Catholic and you're Lutheran and you both want to raise the kids your way, and it's just not going to work.

So you break up again. And then you remember the time you played Scrabble and tried to use 'ginormous' as a word and he nearly hurt himself laughing, and so did you. And you get back together. But it's still not going to work.

I think a good percentage of writers feel this way at one point or another. That's why I love her analogy, it's so perfect and universal. When we're not involved with editing and writing a book is easy to love, all we see are the happy and perfect parts. We remember how witty the character was and how much we loved that one scene.

When you're editing it's all out trench warfare. It's murder out there! Picking the right word involves blood, sweat, and tears. Picking out the right plot is hard, keeping the pacing right is even harder. Sometimes the fight becomes to much, we admit defeat, fly the white flag, and escape to the warm glow of a new project.

So what do you do to escape the doldrums?

Some people, me included, have abandoned manuscripts littering the depths of our computer files like forgotten corpses in the dungeon. Other gamely plug away at their beloved idea at all cost, and find their lack of passion leads to a lack of passion in their query letters and marketing and their hopes are dashed upon the rocks. Maybe some are in between, visiting their abusive and domineering manuscripts but scooting away for clandestine visits with newer, better, stories.

Maybe that's why I'm doing NaNo too. And why so many novelists I know also write short stories. Committing to just one project, surviving the editing trenches, can become to much for our bruised egos. With the exception of Lady Glamis who seems to still be in the newlywed phase of writing. How I envy her the passion! Especially when I'm battering my characters into submission for a fourth draft of Ice even though I know I need to do a fifth draft.

So, confess, where are you with your writing? Is it still sunshine and roses? Is the relationship still good? Or are we talking a nasty smear-tactics divorce where you'll even go to court for the dust bunnies?