I’ve begun the final revision of the novel. I am so happy to be working on the novel again… waiting for my second drafts to come back has left me empty and listless, but now I am back to doing what I love. I have so many ideas for the sequel. I want to get the first one all polished and wrapped up because I’m bursting at the seams to get cracking on the next one. The energy I feel when I write, when I take these ideas from my head and put them down on paper, make them tangible, make them real—it makes me whole for the time I am in the groove. Exquisite creation. Sublime synthesis.
It’s a cranial orgasm.
Not to be confused with skull fucking. The two are totally different.
I hope this novel is successful. I have known most of my life that writing is the only thing that makes me happy. It’s the only thing that never bores me, that I never get tired of doing, and I hope I can make a living at it, because I am so tired of starting over every time I get bored with my current career. It seems all other paths get boring after two years or so. I went to college the first time, got bored after the second year and quit. I joined the army, got bored with it in two years or so but had to stick it out until my contract expired. I got out and went back to school for Information Technology. I was tired of school again by the end of the second year, but I finished the four-year degree. I worked in IT for about two years and decided to quit because I was sick of it. So no I’m working multiple part time jobs and slowly going deeper into a financial pit. I am getting tired of riding this job carousel. I want to pick a spot and get off for good. VIEW MORE
If all goes as planned, I will have the last of five edits returned to me by Thursday. I sent a copy to five people, and all of them thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a legion of basic mistakes to fix (spelling, punctuation, etc.) and I need to add a few short scenes here and there to clarify certain parts of the story, but all in all, I am very pleased. None of my five readers suggested any major changes or pointed out any huge errors in plot, theme, or characterization.
The last edit is still with a friend of mine who is a professional editor. She edits and critiques fiction for a living, and she recently sent me this email:
“You have a lot of amazing writing in here. …some of the best writing I’ve seen anywhere. You do such a good job of controlling the passion, of building it, of making us hang on every word. Writing at its finest.”
Her message was the best news I’ve received in days. I’ve been smiling since I read it.
Once I have her copy in my hands, I will compile all the corrections made by every reader into one master copy and then fix the errors. I’ll write in the few additional scenes, write the plot synopsis, and send that sucker up to the contest!
I am waiting on one last edit to come back to me, and then I will begin the third and final revision of my novel. I have such high hopes for this contest. I will begin the sequel over Christmas if I can get the first one polished and submitted by then. Assuming my novel makes it into the final rounds of the contest, I hope to have the rough draft of the sequel written by the time the winners are announced… If I get knocked out at an earlier elimination round, I will stop writing the sequel long enough to focus on finding an agent the hard way.
My father called me last night and told me he loves my novel. I let him read it because he has very high standards when it comes to fantasy fiction, and he has always been critical of me; I figured if ANYONE could find something in the book to complain about, it would be him, but he had none! His notes are in the mail.
One other edit from Va Beach is in the mail, and my editor friend is working on her suggestions now. I’ll start the easy edits (typos, missing words, repeated words, etc) next week, and once the editor’s suggestions come in, I will work on a few minor content revisions, write the plot synopsis, and it will be ready for the contest! I am so excited!
I recently had an odd thought concerning my novel. When I wrote it, I acknowledged that many people probably will not agree with the theme of the book. If it is published, I expect some people to be rather upset with me, but I can handle them well enough.
What I had not considered is that some people will agree with me… There will be some who adopt my way of thinking as their own. My path will become theirs. My symbols will become theirs… Some may even look to me as a leader or a guide? In this day and age anything is possible. I could even be famous some day. I cannot even imagine it, to be honest. I’ve always been simple ol’ me – no one special for any reason, but as I consider the possibilities this book represents… I find I am not prepared or equipped to handle some of the potential repercussions. It is a scary thought.
Of course, such thinking is really putting the cart before the horse, since the book has to be published first. I really think this contest is going to be my ticket, but there is still so much time… so much waiting. Assuming I win in the top ten and get an agent, I still have to get a publisher, negotiate a contract, and get it in print. It could be 2008 or even 2009 before the book is on shelves. Hell, by then I’ll have the entire series written! At least readers won’t have to wait on me to write the sequels!
I received word that my editor friend has some time to start her read of my novel, and the other test reads should be coming in soon, so I will be able to start the third and final revision soon. I am very excited.