The weeks following my last report have been down, word-count wise. I’ve been working more hours than I thought I would, and I just haven’t been able to reach my 7500 words per week goal. I’ve been close, though, in the 6000s each time. I’m currently at 96,279 words, and while that’s plenty of words for a novel, I’m not done yet. I likely have another 10,000-15,000 words to go. But I was feeling good, doing word wars with my writer friend, and chip-chip-chipping away at this story.
And then I discovered that someone had already written my story.
Has this ever happened to you? You have this GREAT IDEA. It seems so original. So unique. You are giddy to get started so you can finish it and pitch it and see just how excited everyone gets about this GREAT IDEA. I’m a professional daydreamer, so I really get into this phase of the process. 😉
And then one day, you’re minding your own business when WHAM! You see the book. YOUR BOOK. Only it’s not your book. It’s Almost Exactly Your Book. And not only that, but this Almost Exactly Your Book is already published, only a year old, was put out by one of the largest fantasy publishers there is, and book two is scheduled to come out this year.
And you stare at the book, your eyes glazed, your bottom lip trembling, your eye twitching, and you say:
Because you don’t know what to say.
At all.
This is what happened to me over the weekend. And it made it REALLY HARD to write on Monday morning. I kind of moped about, toying with the idea of just giving up. I mean, WHAT IS THE POINT, ANYWAY? Right?
*sigh*
But then I reminded myself that the point was to finish my goal. And that my goal was to finish this book. And that it didn’t matter if there was already a similar book in print. (Seriously, is that author reading my mind???) What matters is that I finish what I set out to do. Once I’m finished, then I can regroup and figure out where to go from there.
So I did word wars with my friend on Monday and wrote 3709 words.
I’m still not done, but I’m going to finish this book. Then I will read this boo
Almost Exactly My Book, and I will brainstorm what, if anything, I need to change in my story to make it different. I’ll likely get my agent’s advice and recruit some beta readers to give me feedback as well. And then we shall see.
Sure, it’s discouraging, but it does me no good to mope. So I’m going to sit down, crack my knuckles, and get to writing. Because I am working toward a goal. And I am almost there. And I will not let ANYTHING stop me from achieving what I set out to do.
Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it? Share in the comments!
Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of several young adult fantasy novels including the Blood of Kings trilogy. She loves teaching about writing. She blogs at goteenwriters.com and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and on Instagram. Jill is a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. Find Jill online at jillwilliamson.com or on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Wow, this is so depressing. I’ve found books similar to mine, but never almost exactly the same … though one of my friends said she read a book almost like mine, except mine was cleaner haha. I did have a title of mine stolen by Nicholas Sparks once … and my story wasn’t even a romance. I was mad for a bit because it had been my favorite title ever, but then I just tweaked it a bit and still loved it. Also, I wrote this GREAT cinderella retelling … only to find out that the Lunar Chronicles have one of the same things in it as mine does, also another fairy tale I read had a similar concept … but they are such minor details I’ll be able to change them and make them work, I think.
keturahskorner.blogspot.com
Yeah, this kind of thing happens all the time. It sounds like you’ve done a great job working through these things, Keturah!
Oh, no! I’ve not had this problem, but I’ve often questioned what I’d do if it arose.
Think Kermit would depict my chain of reactions well. :0)
I’d add a few twists and changes of direction if necessary to my book. Sort of like turning clichés on their heads only on a bigger scale.
Regardless, the tone and voice are bound to be different. If all the paintings of waterfalls can be appreciated and loved–each one somehow unique from another’s–then I’m guessing there’s room enough for books with similar concepts as well.
“Regardless, the tone and voice are bound to be different. If all the paintings of waterfalls can be appreciated and loved–each one somehow unique from another’s–then I’m guessing there’s room enough for books with similar concepts as well.”
Well said.
Very true! Even if plots can be very similar, each author will still have a unique style and voice. And that’s what can set your book apart even from another book with a similar story line.
Thank you, Em Elizabeth. :0)
Exactly, Kristianne!
So true, Samantha! And very wise! 🙂
That sounds like a real-life nightmare. *sympathetic tear* But don’t give up, cause whether or not there’s another book out there like it, I’ll read your book! The readers don’t mind so much about the plot, but they do the characters, and I’m 100% certain your characters will be awesome and different. Therefore, e’rebody’ll like your book anyway. 😛 Keep writing! We’re all rootin’ for ya! 😀
Aww, thank you! <3 And you are right. The characters are very different so far!
This happened to me once. Some of the plot in a book that I was writing was exactly like this book that I had read called “It Took A War.” The weirdest part is that I personally know the author of that other book!