Theory on shelved manuscipts and a Stephen King example

Currently listening to: Come Undone, By The Used

Shelving a novel is no easy thing, but sometimes it is part of the journey a writer must travel. 

The more I am experiencing as a writer and the more I learn about other author experiences, I am developing a theory about shelved novels.

Here it is:

Many shelved novels are often one of the writer’s first, if not their very first manuscript. That means that the content is probably inspired by that writer’s first idea that they cared about enough to fuel crafting an entire book from it. It is most likely dealing with some of the issues closest to the writer’s heart and ideas that most intrigue them. So ultimately, although it may remain shelved for years… that book still contains the most raw, meaningful and important content to that author. That means, after experience built from subsequent projects… that shelved manuscript has the potential to be their best life’s work.

An example of this is Stephen King’s The Gunslinger which became the first in the Dark Tower series 🙂