[Merlin]

I've posted all this on 2 other sites seeking feed back ... I wrote this as a response to comments I received about the dilemma I'm having ...

Posting it on here may help explain my problem ...



" Has anyone ever had a lifelong dream about writing a novel .. Over the years, it's always in your head .. you work on it, refine it -- re-think it .. and get to the point were you have worked out most of the problems and details.. you love what your ideas are. The only problem is your not a writer .. you have notes every where , sketches, drawing ... it's all there in your head ...but because your not a writer .. you struggle to get it down on paper .. it's all there .. just not yet on paper.

Then your told that the book you have in your head can never be looked at by the publishers .. never ... even if they were fans of the subject you wrote about and they wanted to see it .. they can't ..

These publishers turned out to be very nice, understanding and thoughtful people .. thoughtful enough to actually .. make you that one in a million person and return a phone call you made to them ...

They explain the problems and all the issues of doing something based on a pre-existing piece .. know matter how good it turned out .. they can't see it !!!!

The encourage you to continue... but make you aware.. that although getting published is a one and a million chance .. your project could never ever get that one in a million chance ... not because it's content wasn't worth considering .. but because it's based on a pre-existing piece ...

Now... if it's something original .. than that is a whole different story .. that new original project .. can be looked at ...

It may never make it (getting looked at) .. because, it's a one in a million chance .. but that hope and dream is possible ...

Now the big question .. would you keep working on the book based on the pre-existing thing .. or take the best parts of your story and re-work them into something original ???

This happened to me yesterday .. and it wasn't publishers that returned my call ..
In a way I'm overwhelmed that I actually got this call ..
I was amazed at how nice and understanding these people were .. they understood my dream .. they understood it enough to make that one and a million phone call ... and explain the reality of the situation ..."