How to Know When to Give Up on a Manuscript

By Ellen Won Steil

I’ll start with the bad news first.

Writers are masochists. We essentially gamble and bank on spending months, even years on an idea, toiling away until it turns into a semblance of a story. Hoping that the resources and efforts poured into the project will result in a book deal. But the biggest cost? Time. The time put into writing a manuscript is equally if not more valuable than any other currency. Once we reach the mountain of the “first draft,” there are revisions to be made, beta readers to consult with, and the inevitable “what was I thinking writing this?” phase. The feedback will come with both its praise and criticism as we go back to the drawing board, cutting out entire chapters we cried over writing, adjusting narratives, strengthening characters, and filling in plot holes. And here’s the reality: most manuscripts will go unpublished. Advice from an agent on whether it could sell and rejections from editors can signal a white flag. So, if the response is not a winning one, at what point does it become clear that enough is enough and it’s time to give up on a manuscript?

Here’s the good news I promised.

The answer is never.

I’ll tell you a little “feel-good” author story to explain this seemingly all-too optimistic answer. One that happened to me. The publishing journey is hardly a straight line from Point A to Point B and certainly wasn’t in my case:

Project #1 with my agent did not sell.

Project #2 on submission did not sell. 

Project number three? I pushed on. I wrote another project and sent it to my agent.

Her response was very kind (because she’s an amazing human being!) but gently firm (because a good agent won’t just tell you what you want to hear). In so many words, she explained the genre was super saturated and as it stood, the manuscript needed some changes to be viable for submission. Particularly, one of the twists at the end. This all came right before a trip to Sedona with my husband. I remember feeling pretty defeated. The first two projects hadn’t sold and now the latest wasn’t shaping out well. I took some time on this vacation to ponder what wasn’t working, how to fix it, and ultimately: was it worth the time sticking with this manuscript?

Before I tell you the ending of this story, here are some things I learned in determining when to give a manuscript a break. You don’t have to forever “give-up” on a project. The decision doesn’t have to be that final. Publishing is an unpredictable animal, and you never know how or when the tide will turn. Here are some pointers to consider along the way:

Nail down the real problem: Sometimes half the battle is pinpointing the actual issue. It may seem like a character isn’t fleshed out or a plot is too complicated. All items that should be addressed. But discovering the core of what’s making your story not quite meet the mark can actually help all the other minor flaws fall into place. It’s okay to sit back and really evaluate before diving back into revisions. Otherwise, you could be falling down a rabbit hole of changes that aren’t really fixing the root cause.

Map out the vision: Writers hear this often from agents and editors. “I don’t quite have the vision for this story.” It can be very frustrating to decipher this blanket rejection statement. But what it can usually mean is: who are the readers we’re going after? If the answer to this question is unclear for a manuscript, it may be time to take a pause on the project. Which goes to my next point…

Step away for perspective: Take a breather from your story. Spending too much time on it or revising the crap out of it without coming up for air can sometimes do more damage than good. Take a few days, weeks, months even if you have to. Work on something else. Anything to get your head out of the rat wheel so you can come back with a new set of eyes to try again. It’s amazing how taking a little break can make a project fresh. Remember, writing should be enjoyable. If you find yourself tortured over a project, take a step back.

Right book, wrong time: There are situations where a book could be the best thing you ever wrote, plot is executed to perfection, your ending is breathtaking but alas—editors are not interested in buying. Recognize that timing is critical and very important in publishing. Just because your book isn’t what’s hot right now, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have potential for the future. Write what you want to read. Don’t chase current trends. Eventually there’s the chance of your work being what a larger readership is craving.

Trust your gut: Aside from delusions of grandeur, your intuition can be your biggest guide in publishing. Do you really believe in this book to sell right now? Is the passion there in staying persistent? When that fire isn’t quite there, it could be a sign to shelf the manuscript for the time being. It’s not giving up. It’s giving in to present circumstance.

And now back to my own little author story: It was during the drive from Scottsdale to Sedona, that an idea hit me. I knew how to fix the twist in my book. A true gut reaction that it was going to work. I remember half-smiling in the rental car like it was a secret and being excited to get back to revisions. I let my agent know my vision for changing the course of the book. We did end up submitting it to editors. Six months later, an editor asked to chat with me about the project. And then…

She ended up offering on not only Project #3 but also Project #2 that hadn’t sold the previous year! I was stunned, grateful, but made sure to note that timing and patience can mean everything in publishing. You never know if the right readers will come along, or market needs will shift in your direction, or a revision in your book making all the difference. Bottomline: be openminded, be persistent, and be patient. You just never know what will come your way.

—

Ellen Won Steil is the bestselling author of Fortune and the forthcoming Becoming Marlow Fin. She grew up in Iowa in a Korean-American family and earned her BA in journalism from Drake University and law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Ellen believes most good stories have at least a hint of darkness.

For more information visit: https://www.ewsteil.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellensteil

Twitter: https://x.com/ellensteil

BECOMING MARLOW FIN

The pieces of a troubled actress’s mysterious life come together in a riveting novel about family secrets and unspeakable lies by the bestselling author of Fortune.

Marlow Fin is as famous for her beauty and success as she is infamous for her past, some of which is a mystery even to her. Is the public ready for the truth? Is she?

In 1995, young Isla Baek finds an abandoned six-year-old Marlow in the woods near the Baek family’s lakeside cabin. With little memory of where she came from or how she got there, Marlow is soon adopted by the Baeks into a seemingly idyllic Midwest life as Isla’s enigmatic new sister. But no one is prepared for how unnerving and disruptive Marlow’s presence will be over the years. Nor could any of them have foreseen the shocking tragedy that upended all their lives forever.

Now the whole world is watching as Marlow reveals everything in a hotly anticipated prime-time interview. In her harrowing story, spanning decades, the truth finally emerges—about Marlow herself, the damages of family secrets, and the unthinkable things people do in the name of love.

“Steil cleverly presents her provocative thriller in a dovetailed dual stream. Eight-year-old Isla begins in 1995 and moves slowly forward; Marlow, who grows up to become ‘one of the most prominent models and actresses of our time,’ publicly shares her POV via transcript of an exclusive interview that aired July 3, 2021. The decades between reveal the fatal power of family secrets.” —Booklist

“Exquisitely written and hauntingly powerful, Becoming Marlow Fin is a fascinating, wholly original story about the fragile bonds of family. Ellen Won Steil has created riveting, superbly structured dramatic suspense with multiple POVs and an interviewer trying to unearth the secrets behind who Marlow Fin really is and what she’s done. The twists and turns will shock you, and the emotional impact will wrench your heart out.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of A Friend in the Dark

“Becoming Marlow Fin is my favorite kind of suspense to relish on a rainy night: tense, twisty, and piled with layer upon layer of family secrets.” —Victoria Helen Stone, bestselling author of Jane Doe

“The twists and turns never let up in this gripping tale of passion, lies, and betrayal. Becoming Marlow Fin is a page-turning riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I couldn’t put it down!” —Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

Preorder HERE

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing