When to Let a Book Idea Go: A Writer’s Hilarious Wake-Up Call About Costly Creative Detours

From Edie: Discover how a simple greeting-card mishap turned into a hilarious reminder about the hidden cost of bad book ideas. Learn how to recognize when a writing project isn’t working—and why letting go can protect your time, creativity, and sanity.

When to Let a Book Idea Go: A Writer’s Hilarious Wake-Up Call About Costly Creative Detours

by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan

With the Thanksgiving right around the corner (and needing a break from writing), I went to the store to pick out a card to send to my sister. 

I browsed the card section and found a perfect one. Chuckling at the inside sentiment, I plucked it from the rack and turned it over. My laughter turned to horror. Have you priced cards lately? $5.50! For a piece of paper with a joke on it? Not that my sister isn't worth $5.50 but come on. For that amount, it should come in chocolate. 

I could do better for half the price; I'm a writer. Right? I marched out of the store and drove straight to Office Depot. In the computer section, I chose greeting card software for $29.99 and a 15-pack of Avery premium cards and envelopes for $11.99. I'd create a customized card for my friend and have the supplies to create all my card needs for years. I was on a roll. 

At home, I loaded the software, chose a funny greeting, tweaked it for my sister, and loaded the card stock in the printer. Then I hit print. The software said to print a test page. Our printer isn't in my office; I share it with my husband, and it's in his office. 

Across the house. 

I walked to the printer, added a sheet of plain paper for the test, went back to my office, and clicked “okay.” Then I walked back across the house to the printer to check the test page. 

I noted the direction of the arrow indicating how to put it back in for the second side, slipped it back in correctly ready to print the card, went back across the house to my office and clicked “okay print.” 

I then went back to the printer to see my card. But instead, it's printed page two of the test. On my good card stock. 

Sigh. I reloaded 2 sheets of regular paper on top of the card stock to repeat the exercise, walked back to my office, hit print again. Back at the printer (I'm beginning to wear a path in the carpet), instead of another test page, it's printed my card—on regular paper. 

Gritting my teeth and thinking that a five dollar and fifty cent card was looking better by the minute, I reloaded the card stock, stomped back to my office and clicked print. The card printed. On the right paper. 

YES! I put the sheet back into the printer in the direction according to the test arrow, ran back to my office and clicked “print card inside.”

Back at the printer, I removed my wonderful, customized card. I folded it and read it. The front was perfect. I opened it. 

The inside was printed upside down. 

I mailed it anyway. Stupid card cost me $35.94. My sister had better like it. 

My point in telling you this is sometimes a book idea may seem great, but as you get into it you realize it isn’t all you thought it could be. There comes a time to let it go ... before it becomes too costly in time and creativity.

TWEETABLE

When to Let a Book Idea Go: A Writer’s Hilarious Wake-Up Call About Costly Creative Detours from @AneMulligan on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Ane Mulligan lives life from a director’s chair, both in theatre and at her desk creating novels. Entranced with story by age three, at five she saw PETER PAN onstage and was struck with a fever from which she never recovered—stage fever. One day, her passions collided, and an award-winning, bestselling novelist emerged. She believes chocolate and coffee are two of the four major food groups and lives in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler. Find Ane on her website, Amazon Author page, Facebook, Instagram,Pinterest, The Write Conversation, and Blue Ridge Conference Blog.