Welcome Back, Writerbrain

[brightlotusmoon]

The rush is fantastic. I feel like I've been separated from my writerbrain for ages. I'm several pages into Chapter 25. This, after months of being stalled on Chapter 24.
I'm now almost at 93,000 words. I suspect there will be about six chapters left, and that the whole thing will fall just short of 120,000 words. That's massive for a first novel, I imagine.
I'm starting to worry that any agent I query will look at the completed manuscript and tell me it's way too long to be published. I certainly don't mind cutting out chunks here and there to tighten and clean it up, but I don't want to cut too much. It's a big story.
Right now, however, I just need to concentrate on finishing it. I can feel it. I'll get there.
It'll be sweet.

One more day off. I think tomorrow, I'll go for a long walk, maybe a bus ride or a metro ride to a shopping center (it's not like I need to pay for my transportation, thank you disability ID). I'll do something good for myself. Something small to praise myself, tell myself I'm doing well.

I'm doing well, you know.

Comments

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Glad your irons are still hot, too. And you seem quite pleased with your quality, too, so you're one up on me. :/

So yeah, keep plowing through while things are clicking. When it's bad it's bad, but when it's good I don't think there's anything better.

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

120K words isn't that bad... Susannah Clark's first novel was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I believe that was over a thousand pages. And Jaqueline Carey got away with Kushiel's Dart.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. I sometimes wonder why some agents claim that a first novel must be a certain length, and others don't really care.

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

If an agent is saying to you, "I cannot possibly sell this book, because of its length," and not, "I cannot possibly sell this book before you make these changes to it to make it more readable," then they're not the kind of agent you want. There are some agents who will never, ever tell you what to do with your work, and are content for you to stay in a rut, never growing as an author, and drop you when you stop making them money. I ran into a couple of those kind, before I got my agent. I'm on agent #2 now, but with the same agency, and they will not hesitate to tell me, "Yo, you need to fix this shit right quick," if a book is just NOT working.

That is to say, since I strayed off my original point, that if the book is good, they can sell it, and if they're saying it's too big to sell, they don't have any interest in trying to sell it because it will be a little more difficult.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I hope that when I find an agent, I get one like yours. How much work does an agent usually need to do with a debut author, anyway?

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

That, I do not know. In fact, and don't take this as me saying "you will never get an agent, evar," but most authors sell first, then get their agents, because most agents don't want to take on someone who hasn't proven that they *can* sell. But get this... they don't want to take on people who are already in a contract, either. So, the time that people usually get an agent is between their first and second contracts.

Have I mentioned the innumerable catch-22s in the publishing business.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

*ponders this*
Yeah, I know all about the damn catch-22s. It's why I'm so thrilled and proud when people I know do get published, because it can be a bitch. At the moment, I'm not too concerned, but I will be within the next year when I shop around...

(It also makes me wonder why some truly craptastic books can get published.)

that book

[officeninja.livejournal.com]

is just boring and badly written

Re: that book

[officeninja.livejournal.com]

is talling bout "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" not your book jo

Re: that book

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

She was just giving an example. I never read the book, but I've read mixed reviews.

Re: that book

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

Which one? I didn't care for Kushiel's Dart, but I loved Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel.

Re: that book

[officeninja.livejournal.com]

strange and norrell - its one of 2 books i just could not get into - the other one being house of leaves but that i believe was due to the fact i am not schizophrenic. keeping in mind i read james joyce cover to cover with out interuption -- from what i know people either loved it of fould the toilet installation manual more entertaining.

Re: that book

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

House Of Leaves hurt my head. I really tried to enjoy it, but I think it takes a certain mindset to get into.

You reminded me that I'd love to read Joyce's Dubliners and Portrait again.

Re: that book

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

I couldn't get into House of Leaves, either. I didn't feel like working that hard for a story, you know?

[shiefox.livejournal.com]

you had ice cream i was there.
and hopefully we can go again when i get home , oh and try breathing exrsize focase in nose out mouth and shuch do so in quiet no tv no internet 20 minet quiet time light insens chanel positive creative chi ect.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I actually just did that a little bit ago. It was a very good thing. I used the nag champa.

And the ice cream was fantastic, we will probably be able to do it again when you get home.

No, I probably will not buy anything, either, but I do want to get out of the house for a while and window shop. The most I might buy is a smoothie.

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your writerbrain is back.

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful!!! :D

yo dumbass

[officeninja.livejournal.com]

you break it into 2 parts - mega cliffhanger at the end of part one to get'em buyin part 2

Re: yo dumbass

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

That's something I'd need to discuss with an editor or publisher. I never wanted it to be a two-parter, so I always wrote it as a single book.

Re: yo dumbass

[officeninja.livejournal.com]

mo' money, mo' money, mo'money -- hasn't hollywood taught you anything - always have the sequel ready

Re: yo dumbass

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I have two sequels planned already, but not with the same characters. That's why I want to keep this a single book. I plan on writing at least six books in the same universe, but in different timelines with different characters, like ancestors and descendants. That'll probably be enough to make a publisher happy.