Yes, I have been avoiding the blog. And writing in general, aside from work. Why? I'm not really sure. Fatigue from work, which has been stressful and jam-packed with lots of complicated writing. Avoiding the inevitable, because I have lots of cutting to do in my book. Definitely.
At this point, I've read my book so many times that I'm kind of bored with it. There are parts that are really fun to read over and over again. With other parts, I just want to get it over with already. What really scares me is that it's a sign -- and not a good one. Does it mean the book itself is boring? Or does it just mean that I'm bored?
I am kind of chomping at the bit to immerse myself in one of the other stories I've started. They've all been on hold for a while as I edit my finished book, but I'm ready to get back on track with my other works in progress. I've been daydreaming about the characters that I'm still just getting to know. I've had ideas for the book I put on hold indefinitely because the story was giving me a hard time. And I've had some really interesting ideas for the book that's not a book yet -- just five pages or so, so far.
I'm just ready to move on, I suppose. I've got all these other stories calling out to me and I'm looking for something new and good to read besides. I keep gravitating to books I've already read and enjoyed, because of one a few weeks ago that was really disappointing.
But ... my first book needs my attention. I should just finish editing it and then give myself a big reward, like working on something else or reading someone else's good book. ... OK, enough stalling. Back to work!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
New Worlds
I spent the past week or so re-reading the "Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare -- "City of Bones," "City of Ashes" and "City of Glass." Fantasy is not normally my thing, but I liked "Harry Potter" and loved "Twilight," and the "Mortal Instruments" falls somewhere in between. It has a little bit of everything -- romance, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror.
Lately I've been a very visual reader, so it's fun to read these kinds of books, which I like to think of as literary candy -- a fun, guilty-pleasure kind of thing. While Clare's characters are very colorful and powerful, they're also relatable. I've been the wise-ass, eye-rolling, teen-aged girl (and still am to a degree) with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. But without a lot of endless descriptions, the writer makes it easy to picture the Shadowhunters, Downworlders and demons, as well as the Bone City, Alicante and even New York City. I found myself playing the movie version in my head while I read. I seem to be doing that a lot these days.
Not that I want to write fantasy or science fiction, but I wish my brain could create characters as colorful and vivid as those in Clare's books or J.K. Rowling's or Stephenie Meyer's. I don't see whole new worlds of characters and places in my imagination when I sit down to write. I see the people I've known and the experiences I've had and try to capture bits and pieces of those things in the stories that I create. But I think that's where every writer should start, with what you know, then adapt that to a different set of circumstances. Even Clare, Rowling and Meyer weave in themes that the rest of us can relate to -- love, acceptance, loyalty, understanding, belonging, conflict and resolution.
Then again, I think the people in my stories are pretty normal and relatable, but their thoughts, feelings and actions might seem quite foreign to some readers. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. Hopefully, it will ring true with some people and shed light on a different perspective for other people.
Lately I've been a very visual reader, so it's fun to read these kinds of books, which I like to think of as literary candy -- a fun, guilty-pleasure kind of thing. While Clare's characters are very colorful and powerful, they're also relatable. I've been the wise-ass, eye-rolling, teen-aged girl (and still am to a degree) with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. But without a lot of endless descriptions, the writer makes it easy to picture the Shadowhunters, Downworlders and demons, as well as the Bone City, Alicante and even New York City. I found myself playing the movie version in my head while I read. I seem to be doing that a lot these days.
Not that I want to write fantasy or science fiction, but I wish my brain could create characters as colorful and vivid as those in Clare's books or J.K. Rowling's or Stephenie Meyer's. I don't see whole new worlds of characters and places in my imagination when I sit down to write. I see the people I've known and the experiences I've had and try to capture bits and pieces of those things in the stories that I create. But I think that's where every writer should start, with what you know, then adapt that to a different set of circumstances. Even Clare, Rowling and Meyer weave in themes that the rest of us can relate to -- love, acceptance, loyalty, understanding, belonging, conflict and resolution.
Then again, I think the people in my stories are pretty normal and relatable, but their thoughts, feelings and actions might seem quite foreign to some readers. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. Hopefully, it will ring true with some people and shed light on a different perspective for other people.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
* Sigh * More Editing
As I've studied up on literary agents for the past week or so, something has become painfully obvious: I have a lot more editing to do.
Going by pages, I thought I had it down to a nice, reasonable length: 315 pages, single-spaced, without starting new chapters on a fresh page.
Well, everybody wants manuscripts double-spaced, so my book would be 630 pages -- if an agent even asks to read my entire book based on my query letter -- and it appears that 100,000 words or less is an acceptable length.
My book is 180,000 words ... or so.
That means I need to cut more than 80,000 words -- almost half of my book. The good news and the bad news is that the last couple of times I've read it, I got to a point about two-thirds of the way into it where I thought, "Aha! I need to get here sooner!" That means there's a lot that could be cut. That also means there's a lot of work yet to do.
So much for being done and ready to publish. On to the next rough draft!
Going by pages, I thought I had it down to a nice, reasonable length: 315 pages, single-spaced, without starting new chapters on a fresh page.
Well, everybody wants manuscripts double-spaced, so my book would be 630 pages -- if an agent even asks to read my entire book based on my query letter -- and it appears that 100,000 words or less is an acceptable length.
My book is 180,000 words ... or so.
That means I need to cut more than 80,000 words -- almost half of my book. The good news and the bad news is that the last couple of times I've read it, I got to a point about two-thirds of the way into it where I thought, "Aha! I need to get here sooner!" That means there's a lot that could be cut. That also means there's a lot of work yet to do.
So much for being done and ready to publish. On to the next rough draft!
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