you're writing a what?

[hadesbabe]

Oh, good lord, I'm back to work on the novel. As in, "the" novel, the one that's been plaguing-- ah, following me around for 20+ years (how old am I again?). I don't think it's going to leave me alone until I finish it. Well, the basic draft is done (again), and serious revisions are seriously underway. We'll see how well that goes

Comments

Memories of a novel named Frank

[technomage]

What I remember from 1993 was strong story and good characters that needed a serious focus workover and perhaps the hand of an editor with a HUGE red pen. I liked what you wrote but recognized that it wasn't read for prime time. FINISH IT! I know you kids are strapped for cash, but there are some good SciFi cons that concentrate on writing, like WISCON that I'm going to in Madison over Memorial Day. A number of them offer tracks on writing, publishing, finding an agent and editor, stuff you could use.

My point is you should get it done and then work to improve it and get it published. You could be the next Mercedes Lackey... or better.

Re: Memories of a novel named Frank

[hadesbabe]

Thank you. Red pen is in hand-- serious revisions underway. I've brought the whole thing much more in line with my own tastes rather than my first impressions of what it was supposed to be, and the characters have settled in nicely there. It's still not fit for human consumption (it was a NaNo novel, with whole sections where the characters would sit around and wonder what the hell their author was thinking, but that dross has been dropped and I'm shaping up the stuff that's actually worth keeping. I actually have hopes, and you know that's saying something. :)

And thank you so much for the "or better"-- Lloyd once told me I wasn't starting out with any less talent than Lois McMaster Bujold had when he was in that writing group with her. I really need to honor my friends' faith in me by getting this thing done.

(Remind me to tell you someday about that conversation with Lloyd-- it was a hoot.)

[level_head]

Hi, there!

I just happened to stumble into this coming from another direction. You and I are both serious WALL•E enthusiasts (I'm the "Science of WALL•E" geek who wrote a science fiction sequel novel to the film).

If you've got a novel in you, let it out. And the one that you did before can always be tinkered with -- a rework can be a good educational process.

I like the idea of your non-human protagonists; I just wrote a serious science fiction novel featuring octopuses (after some evolution) as the only characters.

Whether your goal is a whimsical "Ratatouille" style, or semi-serious like Watership Down, or played completely straight, such works can be a lot of fun. Not just to read, but to create. I hope that the intervening time has seen some inspiration gel for your project.

Best wishes!

===|==============/ Level Head

[hadesbabe]

Hey there! Sorry to reply so late to this, but I've been off LJ for awhile. Thanks for the encouragement-- it's always great to hear from someone who gets it! I'm still plugging away, slowly but surely, on the novel, while keeping a notebook for the upcoming "rat book"...sort of working on both at once. :)

Thanks again for the encouragement. It means a lot, truly.

Hadesbabe