In Memoriam: Trunking a Novel

I finished my edits for Double Back! Yea! And guess what? It's a trunk novel.

What is a trunk novel? It's a novel that should never see the light of day, a novel that will hide in your trunk or under your bed instead of gracing the shelves of a bookstore or Amazon list.

This has been a really hard decision. There are things about Double Back that I really like. It was a fun idea when I started it I-don't-know-how-long-ago. But the truth is, it's just not something I want to put out there.

Why? The writer in me thinks it's silly to trunk a completed, revised, fairly polished manuscript, but the other part, the author part of me, knows it's the right thing to do. I started this novel years and years ago. I have changed so much as a writer since I wrote the first chapters of Double Back. Big chunks of the novel just don't resonate with me now. I started the book before I really found my voice and so parts of it read like someone else's work. Also, I'm leaning toward other things these days. Double Back is a YA time travel story. The young adult industry has moved on and so have I.

I don't regret the time I've spent on Double Back. I'm glad I revised it. I'm glad I took the time to really look at the story.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this story. It is the first novel I completed. It is the first novel I fell in love with. But I've moved on....and this knowledge makes it bearable to part with my beloved Double Back.