Write Or Die

I once read a quote that went something along the lines of saying there’s no point in writing a novel unless you must write that book or else go crazy or die. This is how I feel about every piece of writing I have done since high school. I have to write it, or I have to die. It may not be good in the end; I may scrap it in the middle, I may finish it, then cannibalize it for use in other works. But if I ain’t writing, I’m dying.

I had no choice but to write my first novel… It was, in fact, the first book I had ever written. Originally, I wrote a movie script because if I didn’t write it, I would die a horrible, dramatic death. After many painful revisions, rewrites, and savage cuts, I produced something resembling a decent script. Decent in my mind. But worthy in Hollywood’s mind? Well…Getting a producer to buy a script is like getting a Vegan to buy a Big Mac. Try as I might, the big Hollywood checks weren’t coming. My efforts to sell the script resulted only in sorrow and despair.

They didn’t result in me giving up on the story. Unlike other works where I’ve realized their lack of marketability or just knew that only someone in the throes of mania would enjoy them, I knew Splendificent deserved to get a shot with the masses.

My good friend and mentor, Melody Jackson, suggested I turn my script into a novel. At first, I was skeptical; I still had the dream of seeing it on the big screen. Or at least see it on my Netflix watchlist. It was only when I understood the possibilities of making it a book that I became hyped to the hilt. It wouldn’t just be a movie with my script mutilated by a director’s vision. It would be my baby come to life.

In the transition from screenplay to novel, much was altered. I depowered The Hot Squad from Powergirl like heroes to a more vulnerable supernatural type. Instead of being characters from a magic sketch pad, they were college girls trying to find their way for their freshman year. I took the story and Giselle out of a small California town and dropped it into the middle of Manhattan. It was different. But it was still my baby.

I never once doubted its potential for publication. Yes, I knew the odds were against me, but I felt I was against the odds, if that makes sense. It turns out someone should have placed a bet on me. The original book version, Giselle and The Hot Squad, the first book I’ve ever written, was accepted by the very first publisher I sent it to. I had to tell the other publishers who were reading the book not to bother; I’ve already been spoken for.

With this reboot as Spendificent, the real hard part starts now… Getting someone to read my deluded ramblings. I could suffer from drastic underexposure, terrible reviews, or flat out disinterest from the reading public. It could be I totally misread what people want to read. Maybe I’m the only one interested in Giselle and her Hot Squad.

Whatever happens, I’m glad I wrote the story. Because if I hadn’t, I’d be dead.