I've been working on this story for a little bit, though I'm still at the beginning. The last few days or so I've hit this massive wall with it, and can't move past it. The reason for this is I've been getting flooded, simply flooded with creativity and ideas for this OTHER story that I was going to do next, after I had, you know, my first "book" under my belt and I had some "experience" per se. It's all coming easily and I'm really excited about it at the moment. Is this the best time to jump in it? This other story is massive, and complex and intimidating, and im already in love with the characters, and its gnawing at me to go to work. I'm afraid to start on it before I'm really ready to, it just feels like too much for my first real hoorah. This first story I was working on, though I've got some cool ideas and some great dialogue scenes planned, it's really just kinda fizzling out for me. I never really loved the characters, they were just sort of "place holders" that things could happen to, you know? I know this will come through in the writing if I stay with it. Should I follow my instincts and drop the first one, come back to it later? I just feel like I should have some stuff under my belt first. Does that make sense? I'm also concerned that if I don't start developing this new idea, it will lose it's steam and appeal. Lol I'm sure many writers have these kind of issues to pick and choose and sift ideas.
If you don't feel strongly for your first one, sure you could drop it. The thing is that you could end up in a circle of never finishing anything. What if you get an even GREATER idea while working on the new one? My suggestion would be to write down the ideas to the new thing unsorted in a new document/journal/wherever you prefer keeping your thoughts. Just pour those idea out. Then you go straight back to your original story. If you are going to work as a writer you will (probably, I'm not a professional) have to control inspiration. Both ways. You can't jump ship every time something better comes along and you need to work even if your mind feels like a desert. Stupid me just re-read. I just saw that you're in the beginning of the first one. Then it's not as bad dropping it. That said, if you decide to stay with the old one, do something about your characters. It will be easier to write about them if they are more than place holders.
Well if you are not feeling it, then put it on the digital shelf for a while and work on the one you have more interest in. No point in forcing your self to continue writing something that you can't get all that invested in. But keep it on file in case you ever want to come back to it.
Make notes of your other story (rough outline, quick character sketch, brief synopsis). Then finish your current work in progress. It's your first novel, so try to finish it. And when I say finish I mean drafted, revised and polished. You will learn a lot from finishing a novel, and along with that knowledge, you can tackle the next novel with better skills. You don't want dropping a story to become a habit. What if your next project, you start getting excited for the next one and so on? Perhaps your want to drop stems from the infamous, dreaded middle. If so, press on. Maybe you need to raise the stakes and just give your characters a harder time than planned. Jim Butcher has a great post about this: http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1865.html That's my opinion, which could be wrong so take it with a shovel of salt.
