The Downside of Writing Unique Stories

When my manuscripts Destitutes and Fiends and A Dyad of Brass didn’t make it out of the trenches (D&F got an agent but not a book deal; DYAD didn’t get an agent), I came to one conclusion: if I really wanted to have a shot at getting published, I had to dial my storytelling all the way up.

I adore these books and feel they’re lovely, but over time I’ve also come to suspect that they were “normal.” And how do I describe normal now, hmm. Many times, authors get comfortably settled in the industry and begin to write books that aren’t groundbreaking, but are still enjoyable. That is how these two books are. They are books I could put out when published and that people would enjoy, but experience proved that they were too normal to get me out of the trenches (both subs and querying).

D&F especially apparently didn’t stand apart enough. DYAD is pretty unique, but for a story of its scope, I think it was a bit rushed. Many of the passes said it felt too fast-paced, and looking back now, I can see it. Although I’d heard people complain that many fantasy books move too slowly, and that’s what I was also trying to avoid—but that’s another subject.

Anyway, ADOBS felt like my last chance to try to get out of the trenches. If this next book didn’t get me out of the trenches, then perhaps this path was not mine to walk.

I decided that to give myself the best chance possible this time, I had to craft something groundbreaking. ADOBS is a fantasy book featuring spies on missions, but I tried to avoid a usual spy arc for my MCs. Instead, I pushed myself to twist everything, and to also create a full world that clashes with itself, rather than a neatly-organized one.

And I do advice this for querying writers too. Don’t be too inspired by the normal books* (see above definition*) you read. Published authors can write normal books because they’ve crossed that bridge, but when you take those kind of books on subs, you’ll hear editors say they are not unique enough for a debut author to stand out in a crowded market. I heard plenty of this with D&F. There are some normal books that do make it, but I feel a unique concept has a better shot in the current climate.

The querying result

I decided to push past the comfort of my ‘usual’ while plotting ADOBS. I hoped that in a sea of query letters/manuscripts, the intricacy could give it a better chance of standing out to agents. This strategy worked, and I was/am also very proud of myself for creating a story that professionals all called original!

The submissions result

On subs, however, I’ve seen a flip side to writing an intricate story. A story that is not normal, is one that can be mentally challenging, and it is good to see these kind of stories in the mix. But the downside of this is encountering editors who are scared to be mentally challenged.

My agent and I have gotten many feedback praising ADOBS. Some have admitted to holding on to the manuscript for long because they see so much potential. But it’s all ended with lines about how they don’t have an editorial vision to tackle it. Over and again, I’ve seen that it’s not because the story isn’t good enough or outstanding enough (as I heard with D&F) but because now that the editors have a distinct story before them, they are intimidated to work on it. And this brings the sense that maybe, they want simpler stories.

So it’s almost like pushing myself to write a story out of my comfort zone has backfired, because now editors are not willing to leave their own comfort zone.

Ultimately, I adore my story. I am super proud of it. I believe the right person is going to fall in love with it without any ‘buts’. There are clever stories out there that prove uncommon stories can survive the trenches. Some were lucky to find editors that snatched them up quickly, some took a longer time in the trenches, both proving that it’s only the lax-er editors that will scurry away from inventive stories. But there are intelligent editors out there who aren’t afraid to bring something new to the table.

Still, I’m writing this post to share that even when creating a unique concept to help you stand out in the crowd, sometimes there are hurdles with that too. But… I think I’ll still go with the route that helps make me a better writer. 🙂