The Labyrinth vs. Enslaved

Nano is a week away, and I have had a big decision to make over which book to write. So, originally, I was all excited over "The Labyrinth" a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus killing the minotaur. And for me, this book had everything--heroes, a princess, romance, an evil king, an impossible labyrinth, troublesome relatives, and a great quest. I was super excited for this. My first year doing Nano, and I had a great novel to write. Hurray! *grins*

Then, a few weeks ago, I pulled open the file for my one first love and first book, Enslaved, and began reading the prologue. I was only a few sentences in when I opened a new document and started writing. And ever since, Enslaved has been on my mind.

I've written/rewritten Enslaved 3 times, and each time it's gotten insanely different and has pulled so far away from my original vision for it. But that's alright, since the original vision was pretty bad. And I'm sure it's just the perfectionist in me that every writer has, but Enslaved is never finished. After I finish a draft I think, "Great, we're all done! Let's go search for literary agents!" but it's never like that. I leave it for a few months, I come back to it, and I realize, "Wow, this writing really stinks. What was I thinking?"

In The Labyrinth, while I've got a great plot and the perfect cast of already created characters that an author could only dream of, an amazing setting (ancient Greece), and a wonderful villain, there's something missing. I feel nothing towards these characters anymore. I used to. But now, they've fallen into the cliche "perfect hero, tough girl" category. They don't interest me at all. I feel no connection, no life, no emotion towards them. To be honest, they're boring.

In Enslaved, I've got a small bit of a plot (needs work), an undetermined setting (trying to decide if it should be the Middle Ages in our world or if it should be a fantasy world), but the characters...I've known these characters for over 3 years, and I feel them. Granted, they aren't exactly what I want them to be--yet. Will (MC) is still shadowy and undefined. Torene (secondary MC) is bordering on the stereotypical. Even so, I feel like there's something about Enslaved that always pulls me back as soon as I let myself be drawn in. (Wait, that sentence was redundant. Oh well. Maybe you can decipher it anyways.)

So, originally, I was going to ask you, "Which one do you think I should write?", but thinking about it and writing this post, it's become clear. I think I should choose Enslaved. Someday, perhaps, I might come back to The Labyrinth with the same vigor and excitement I had when I first thought of it. But right now, that doesn't feel right. What feels right is going with my characters...and sort of winging it. I know that sounds bad , but hey, what's life without mystery?:)