(no subject)

[thehefner]

When everyone who starts reading your novel stops at around page 30, for any of a multitude of reasons (too tired, not enough time, no, it's good really it is but I blah blah blah etc.), you know there's a problem.

When the author of the novel starts flipping through his own story and has to ask, "what the fuck is going on here?!", you know there's a problem.

When people ask me what the book's about, and I haven't the faintest bloody clue, you know there's a problem.

Starting tomorrow, I shall begin the process of slashing-and-burning a hell of a lot of the book. Like, 1/3 of the whole thing. I have come up with an alternate series of events which, although much less convoluted than the way the book is already, still will need a bit of grace and style if I'm gonna pull it off with any real coherence. Much of my problem is that I have created a huge world with a backstory all its own, and I'd need a Silmarillion-style history book to properly explain it all. Thus is the problem when one is trying to write part one of a 20+ park Babylon 5-style epic. Getting that first step down. I don't plan the revisions to take more than two weeks. Not unless I buckle down and get to it, right bloody now.

I know a couple of you have the original draft, and I appreciate whatever progress you guys've made so far. If anyone'd be interested in taking a look at the second (hopefully better) draft, please let me know. The more opinions I get, the better, really. There's a lot of good in this book that I don't want ruined or bogged bown by the bad.

Anyway, hope everyone's enjoying Thanksgiving. It's always a nice Holiday. These days, there's becoming more and more bittersweet, but I don't mind. There is something to be said for bittersweet.

Comments

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

I made it more than twice 30 pages in before directing commitments took up a lot of time. Reading a novel in unfinished form takes more time and effort than reading a draft. So I haven't been able to come up with a judgment on whether I liked it or not. I wasn't sure how some things would, or wouldn't come together, and that's good; why read something if you know the ending ten pages in.

So if you're reworking, then yeah, I'd like to start back at the beginning.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate the reading you have done, and believe me, I know how commitments can take up the rest of free time. I haven't actually read an entire novel in five months, much less written 5 original pages of any story in four. Everyone's busy as hell and I didn't expect anyone to really get finished very quickly.

Even still, you're far from the only one who decided to put it down for a rest at page 30 or so, and regardless of the reasons, any writer will tell you that means something. I dare say you've gotten further than anyone else, and that means a lot to me.

I'm going to save the old draft as I work on the new, so if I get rid of something good that you'd been reading before, let me know. But you have more important fish to fry in R3, so yeah, take your time getting to it. I don't want anyone to rush-read my story when they're stressed with the show. 'Sall good.

[lariel.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see it in whatever form you're giving it out.

Me too!

[reazik.livejournal.com]

I apologize for being preoccupied with pregnancy stuff. I do have every intention of reading your novel.