Sunday, August 1, 2010

Cover to cover.

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..


I just finished reading my book from cover to cover. I skipped a lot a things that needed fixing, I just wanted to get a sense for what I have done, where it was going, how I got there, did it move, did it feel and most of all was it worth trying to fix.

Without a doubt I feel it is worth trying to make flow and fit together to make an adequate book. For awhile there I was thinking it wasn’t worth the effort. I was worried I was letting the love for my story and characters were holding me to a failed idea.

Thankfully now I see I need to fully invest myself in this book. I see it is what I wanted it to be—I just need to trim the edges and eliminate the parasites dragging my story down.

I was very surprised to read some of the material I have composed, it was quite well, and is proof the muse does exist. I couldn’t compose stuff like that on my own. When I get in the zone it’s this out of body experience, where I experience a journey from who knows where.

I love seeing the story as I write, I just hate trying to weed out the normally me parts.

Thx so much for your comments, your help has led me down a road to where I see my goal clearly. A place where I know i belong.

Soon I’ll be starting the dreaded synopsis. It’s pretty sad when you have to sell a 300+ page book in three paragraphs.

I am afraid my learning curve just hit a big bend.

thx for any comment you might leave...

7 comments:

  1. Don't you love reading over your work and being terribly surprised when you read something you don't remember writing and it's actually really good?

    It's a good thing that you realized your story is worth fixing up. I wish you all the best.

    I totally agree about the synopsis... I have no idea what I'll do when I get there. Yikes.

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  2. I don't envy you the synopsis, either.

    I'm actually outlining now... for my whole Thomas series...

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  3. Well, first, CONGRATS...I didn't realize you finished your first draft. That's big accomplishment! *throws confetti*

    Good luck with your revisions. I suggest you take a break from looking at it for a few weeks...maybe read some books, in your genre, and maybe some books on writing. (I highly suggest: The First Five Pages and Manuscript Makeover)

    THEN, with fresh eyes, open a new word doc and copy and paste over what you deem savable, and start your second draft. I like to have a notebook by my side, to make notes as I think of ideas/lines/solutions etc. This second draft can take a LONG time. Far longer than the first draft.

    When you're done with that draft, then repeat the process: Take a break, read, then start the polishing of a 3rd draft and begin line edits.

    When THAT draft is compete, you'll want to hand it to some beta readers to mark up. (while you wait, this would be a good time to start your query letter and synopsis...of which you will also make many drafts. It must be stellar and pristine)

    Then you'll take those comments into consideration and do yet another draft based on their feedback.

    Then, have a couple second readers look through it...(while you wait, this would be a good time to do extensive research on agents that work with your genre, that you might like to query)...

    make at least one more pass of revisions/edits/polishing...then finish you query polishing, THEN you might consider it ready to query.

    Do not query it until you've had a lot of feedback and done a lot of polishing. That is my best advice. The biggest rookie mistake is querying before its ready.

    ~Lola

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  4. Amen Lola... and after all of that it might never get published, but I will have learned a ton.

    thx for all the comments...

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  5. Good luck Jeff! :) Take your time, focus, practice, and have fun writing what you enjoy writing about. :)

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  6. Lola has some good advice. Put your ms to the side for a month or so... Celebrate! Rough out a new story...research who to submit your ms to...Then start revisons. (Do you have a critique group?) Seriously, I look back at the stuff I sent out when I first started writing in the 90's and I blush. Not that the concepts were bad, but the formatting and excessive words were over the top and I submitted picture books! Take your time....Be positive...Go to conferences...Be connected...Be positive...

    Hugs!

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  7. I had no idea this fiction writing was such a hard thing to do. No wonder I am unwilling to even try it! Good luck, Jeff.

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