So, the movie that gave me the inspiration for my novel’s ending (yes, the one I stole) was about a writer and it went way into the paranormal realm.
It’s called Re-cycle, and the writer ends up being thrown into this world where all her tossed writings have gone. All the characters she either changed or crumpled up and threw away — they were all there. The worlds she created were there. And then it became a huge ‘otherworld’ of every writer’s unused ideas.

It got me thinking recently about the process of my writing. For Avalon, in particular.
When I started, I was on a roll — writing a few thousand words a day and the story was moving right along. But then, I hit a snag. I started editing instead of just finishing the book.
Don’t get me wrong—I think I did the right thing by doing that. I’ve learned a lot and my writing is better now because of it. The rest of my novel will be easier when it comes to revising, now that my writing is tighter. The first few chapters had to be edited to pieces, but now I don’t have to change much at all when I go back.

All right, here’s my point…
I wonder what my book would have been if I’d continued writing. Would it be completely different? Because I know that different things in my life have affected the storyline, and certain ideas seem to come up at just the right time.
But, had I left the learning process for later, would I have had a different plan for the book? Would my characters be different?
Heck, would I already be finishing one of the other books I’ve started? What are those characters doing, just sitting around waiting? Are they developing into different types of people based on my life experiences in the meantime? Are parts of their personality disappearing and entering another realm? Are characters morphing into each other?

This is an odd post, I know, but I seriously wonder how different a book would be if you wrote it at a different time in your life. Would Avalon be even remotely the same if I’d written it ten years ago? Even if I had the exact same idea back then??? Hmmm…

What do y’all think? Do you think that everything is always changing in your work based on your life and based on breaks you may take between writing? Or are your ideas solidified enough that nothing would change them? This kind of goes along with Marybeth’s posts about influence…

I’m interested to hear your thoughts!

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Since winning her first writing competition at a young age, Eden Tyler, has only fallen more in love with the written word. She uses her English, Psychology, and Sociology backgrounds to create depth to her own stories and novels while contributing to and running websites about writing. This is what fulfills her, along with working as Co-Editor for Fuel Your Writing, but she also enjoys the freelance work that puts food on the table (and that ever-essential roof overhead) for her family.

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