I received my *expected* 13th rejection last week. Even though this was an agent that I'd LOOOOOVE to work with, I'm still relieved because I've found some places in the MS that need some serious TLC.
In other words, I figured out why The Island of Dr. Moreau is written from the POV of someone not even involved with the experiments: IT'S FRIGGIN' HARD. And let me tell you, writing from someone who now thinks and acts like an animal is even harder. A lot of nuances, a lot of opportunities for cool stuff, a lot of headaches. I'm not kidding. This is my.....6th (?) round of revisions. And I'm still finding stuff to improve upon.
That being said, I'm also trying to improve my word count. When I started thinking I was ready to query Duality, my word count was close to 118,000. Which is way too high, especially for a debut. That alone may have earned me a few Rs. (That and the sucky query that I sent out.)
As of right now, my word count is....*drum roll please*
.....................................................
...............................
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111,096.
I have written a new beginning and new ending, cut scenes, cut paragraphs, cut stupidity. This is a MUCH MUCH tighter draft than I had before, and I'm so glad that no agent requested pages because it would have been an embarrassment. No joke.
Now, I must return to my writer cave.
Also, just FYI, there are some fun things in the works. Hoping to get a few newly-pubbed authors to drop by ye olde blog for some interviews (and maybe even giveaways!). I'll keep y'all posted, as always!
8 comments:
I feel your pain. I'm currently working my way through my 4th draft, and thanking the lucky stars above I only sent one query. It's a daunting process, but you have a great attitude about it! You're seeing the issues, and working on them...some of the basic needs for success. Keep at it and you'll get there!
Been there myself and still am. Revising and editing is part of it, a big part.
oh yeah. It's daunting, frustrating, annoying, overwhelming...and yet a necessary part of EVERYTHING we'll ever write. I like seeing how I've grown as a writer. Like I said, I've had this idea for 10 years, and seeing how it's evolved and changed has shown me how I've bettered and matured as a writer. I think that's true for all of us.
Hi - I am so stuck on my latest revision; I am sort of "what iffing" my way in a big circle. I have problems with my stakes, problems with my subplots and problems with my characters I did not see in my first pass of HTRYN, my huge rewrite and my subsequent edits. Scary. I hope I can find the solution...Not ready to dig its grave yet. Good luck with yours!
Counting word count sucks, doesn't it? My 1st draft of Half-Blood started at 115k, and the final version is around 90k. The sequel is at 115k. I must have a thing for that number. Anyway, you probably know what I'm doing now. Cutting words, lol.
A POV from a character who has animal tendencies sounds super exciting!
@Roberta - It sucks majorly when you write yourself into a circle. Maybe a plot chart of some kind will help you make more sense out of what's going on in your subplots? I went in circles with my characters and plot for a while until I forced myself to settle down and asked myself what this was really all about.
@Jennifer-YES. I've been hacking away for weeks now trying to make my count manageable. There are things to add and things to take away. Gra. Annoying. LOL. I hope this is as exciting as it sounds. Cuz right now it's a gigantic pain in my butt.
BTW, I'm SALIVATING for that sequel ;)
You have a great stick-to-it attitude! It will take you far. *hugs* on the R's. They suck. Some say that every "R" gets you close to a "yes." ;)
Thanks, Laura :) Honestly I don't know what else to do LOL. I'm holding onto the hope that every R is closer to a yes. When we're published, we can sit around and reminisce about all our silly Rs ;)
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