What Would a Professional Do?

Seriously. I want to know what a professional author would do in my situation.

I write for 6-8 hours per day at least five days per week, and I am regularly paid for my writing. By professional I mean someone who has a book deal. Someone who makes their living off writing fiction.

A few months ago I sent a manuscript, Family Matters, to an editor. She gave me fantastic feedback and made some excellent suggestions. The original manuscript made it to the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Competition, so I know I have something there that may be saleable.

In one of our conversations, I mentioned that I was considering a pet psychic mystery. The editor loved the idea. It has some highly saleable elements - animals and the supernatural. And it's a high concept idea.

I came out with a first draft for the pet psychic idea, and I think it's going to be a winner.

Back to Family Matters. One of the editor's suggestions was to rewrite in first person. I fleshed out an outline implementing her excellent suggestions for the characters and story line, and it's ready to go.

I've hit a wall. I can't make it past the first two chapters. I'm not sure if it's the voice or if I'm just temporarily tired of this particular novel.

A professional writer has deadlines, and she has to be able to do the rewrites whether her muse is speaking to her or not. She just has to find a way.

Half of me thinks it would be good practice for the real world to make myself do the rewrites. Now. The other half is rooting for the psychic novel, since that might be more saleable anyway. I mean, I'm not being paid to do this yet, right? And I should work on whatever will get me through that door. Right?

I think I know what the professional writer would do. Whatever she had to do to meet her contract.

So I want to know. What do you think?

By the way, the fabulous editor is Kristen Weber .