hang in there!

i think i have an idea for a second novel. at this stage it is only a concept, and only my immediate [read: indian nuclear + white husband-man] family know about it. i have made a start on the characters, but i don't really know what the whole story is just yet. it'll be based in melbourne and it'll be fiji-indian-centric again, but in a totally different way than my first novel. i might tell you a little more about it once it's clearer in my head, but then again... hehehe!

i remember when i was writing my first novel, for a long time i had no idea how it was going to end - i didn't even know from day to day where it was going to go next. there were so many times when i'd finish a section, sit back and think, 'well, that's it for that story, there's just no where else to go from here'. i can't even count how many times i walked away from it, thinking that it was all over. one thing i do remember is exactly how scary/angering/frustrating those moments were. but here i am, three years after starting out the first time, with one novel finished and on its way to being published, and the hint of another idea taking seed in the mushy recesses of my brain somewhere. who'da thunk it?

one hint i have for those 'ive done all i can do here, ever' type moments is this - change perspective. this might be plainly obvious, and i might sound a bit stupid for even saying it, but there it is. whenever i thought there was nothing left to say, i changed my point of view - and all of a sudden, everything would be back on again. i've found that swapping character perspective also lets you know if what you've just written is any good. i remember getting a little carried away with two characters, making them nearly have a fight - then when i switched to a third character's perspective, i was like 'no way! that can't be happening'... so i did a bit of a word-cull and started again. so all's i'm saying is don't lose hope, keep going, and walk away from it as much as you need to. if it's going to happen, it'll happen eventually.