For anyone else who wants to start/progress/finish writing a book in 2011

[artifarti]

As the title says really!

Me: After several years of dithering with short stories, I committed myself to Nanowrimo last month and managed to bash out a 50,000 first draft of an idea I've had for ages. There is some excrutiating crap in there but also the bare bones of a plot and some interesting characters. So I'd really like to spend 2011 trying to develop it into something better.

But I need some company so that we can mutually kick each other's arses when the temptation to watch Holby City is proving too great. Anyone else?

Well done, Bssh! I wrote a ~700 word article for our local newspaper yesterday, and have been editing it today. Hoping to get back to my novel this evening, but if not, will definitely be working on it tomorrow morning while DD2 is in her ballet class and maybe tomorrow afternoon as well.

Oh well doe Bssh and Flamingo!

I have a pal who's very well read IYKWIM, she's offered to go through the novel for free.

Excellent news belle - will she critique it fully, eg not just spelling/grammar/factual inconsistencies but also pace, sub-plot, rhythm, theme, characterisation... etc?

She said she'd do all of it. I'm not 100% sure about this though, I don't know how much experience she has. I do need it doing fully to be honest so I'm steering towards paying for an expert to do it. I'm

Belle, definitely take up her offer of help. In addition, is there anyone else you know who's judgement you trust? Also, what about your own judgement? If you set the MS aside for a week or more and then came back to it, you may be able to make your own assessment of it. Reading a MS out aloud really helps (in my experience), even into a recording device and playing it back to check for rhythm etc. It's amazing what you hear when you read your own work aloud...

I think I know where it's wrong, it's the last half. I've no idea where to start though, never edited anything before. There's no 'real' subplot in it, it's a kiddy book. Spelling wise it's OK, grammar there's too many semi-colons. It flows though and there's no real lose ends.

had feedback from my first reader
she really likes it this time
she is just querying one scene, she thinks it doesn't add to story. Usually I'd rip it out without a second thought but in this case I actually disagree.
and she thinks one character could do with a bit of diluting. Which I do agree on.
I'm going to send it out again and see what my second reader says, last time they were both in agreement and totally spot on. They are fab!
first reader is also going to edit my synopsis, which is the bit I find truly impossible. just written 80k and now I need to summarise it in a page?!
Luckily I have a child free week at Easter to get my sleeves rolled up. Feel good about this one, somehow. I think I'll submit over the summer; meantime I need another project to get my teeth into to take my mind off the inevitable rejections!

That all sounds really positive, ninah :)

I hit 30k on Saturday night! Very pleased and intrigued to know what's going to happen next in my story. I'm also thinking vaguely about what I might do next, when I've finished this story, and thought I might work on practising the craft of writing by doing some short stories and trying to sell them to somewhere or something while I let my first draft sit and settle for a couple of weeks before I start to type it up.

Agree, it sounds really positive ninah. Do you have an idea for a new novel you could plan out while subbing the current MS out? I've got an idea for another novel - I've been making notes on it in my spare time when I don't have the energy to focus on the current novel and I'm quite excited by it. But, like you, I will wait until my current one is ready to be sent out. I refuse to derail myself!

Well, 1887 words today and Chapter 10 is now complete. I'll edit and revise it tomorrow when start Chapter 11 (which will be the novel's halfway point) on Wednesday.

Woohoo, Bssh! Go you! :)

Ooh just found this post. Can I join in? I have just submitted the firstdraft of my first novel (130,000 words) to my agent cum publicist. He loved the early chapters and synopsis, as did his chosen publisher... now it's gone and I'm sitting here wondering what happens next. It is great to know I'm not alone out there.

bssh no no ideas as yet. A few tentative possibilities, but am trying to keep focussed on finally kicking this one into shape. Nearly halfway, that's amazing. You've really got cracking since coming on here.
fb that sounds positive, too. Personally I can only focus on one thing at a time but you hit a lull when it all ends, and that's the time to begin again, with all the excitement of a new draft that might, just might, be The One. I'm a serial monogamist at heart.
Welcome ils, great news you have an agent and a publisher keen! sounds like you are in a very exciting position atm. Keep us posted. Yay!

Thank you! I will. It was all a bit of an accident so not sure what will happen next, but if I get any good news I'll be back to share. In the meantime I'm going to read back through this entire post in search of understanding and support. Great to know you are all here.

(hopes for an accidental agent lol) good luck!

actually, no, not letting you off there ils, there's a story there - what happened?!

You didn't really send a proper first draft to an agent, did you, ILS!?

Ninah - I know I need to forget about it for a while before I start typing it up, so I can read it with fresh eyes to the story (writing it long-hand btw) and can really see where the plot errors are. At the moment, it's all very personal to me, and I can see that I read my first pages far more critically than the more recent ones already, so a break can only be a good thing. I'm thinking that my plan will be:

1. Write the first draft
2. Put it away for a bit and work on a short story
3. Write up novel first draft, revise it a couple of times
4. Put it away for a bit again and work on short story-writing again
5. Take another look at second draft and decide if it needs more polishing before getting some friendly people to read it and critique it for me
6. Work on short stories
7. Make suggested changes, and start submitting
8. Start next novel.....

I don't think I'd be able to work on a full novel at the same time as working on my current one, but I can see me working on short stories, to hone my skills and practise making submissions to things with work that doesn't mean as much to me because it's shorter...and maybe even sell some

This is becoming my grand plan for a career, can you tell?

You are all doing so well!

After a discussion with my family, I've been told to get mine edited and they will help. It's lovely that they have so much faith in me (it's a first).

I know what you mean about putting it aside for a bit fb. You do have a lot of plans! I really ought to do the same since I am at a bit of a hiatus while it's out with readers ... it is odd to have so much free time, but I just don't have any ideas atm, am a bit burnt out (well there is one idea, but it's a novel thing again ...don't think I'm v good at short). So I am being a bit lazy really. About to send it off to reader 2 today. Don't want to muck it about too much until I compare feedback.
belle good luck.

Hi, back again....

As I said it was all a bit of an accident and I am sure I did it all wrong.

The novel started as a series of emails sent to friends when I was travelling around the world. They were real, never meant to be a novel, but one of my friends thought they were so funny (nothing like laughing at someone elses misfortue) she sent some of them to a friend of hers who was a publisher. He thought they were chapters from a novel and critiqued them (that was painful given the main character he was critiquing was me! ). It wasn't his kind of book so he suggested it to an agent who had other publishers and the first I knew was when I got the email from the agent asking me for another 50,000 words!

Fortunately I had 3 years of emails which I then spent a frantic couple of months trying to turn into a coherant beginning for a novel. I sent them in, he liked them and asked me for the "whole novel".

I have just spent 4 months endlessly rereading them, cutting out big chunks and moving things around trying to turn my ramblings into a story, and turn me & everyone else mentioned into a fictional characters to protect the guilty.

Fingers crossed and off it went. Miraculously the agent liked it and off it went to his chosen publisher...

Now I wait...

All very odd, total accident, but I guess sometimes these things are just meant to be. I have a "proper job" so nothing to lose but a dent to my ego (and I already had that when the first guy critiqued my personality as the main character ).

Will let you know if a miracle happens and the publisher "bites".

Iloveshoes001, how wonderful! I love accidents that have a happy ending :-) Welcome!

Thanks BsshBossh. My life over the past 8 years or so seems to have been a series of happy accidents. Clearly I was meant to be on a different path.

Given it was an accident I would appreciate any advice on what I should be doing next (I am assuming nothing, just sit and wait for the verdict), and IF by some miracle the publisher still likes the full version, what happens next?

Please assume I know absolutely nothing. Having not set out to be an author and with everything happening so fast I haven't read any books or done and reaserch (too busy trying to edit the blinking manuscript by the required deadline). Thank you one and all.

Publishers will want edits and rewrites (from what I gather). If they really like it they will offer you a contract, pay you an advance so that you can eat and then assign an editor so that they can go through it all with you.

Best of luck Iloveshoes

Hi guys - glad you are all still typing along. Am sort of disillusioned and thinking of ways to avoid writing (research, want to buy a new netbook for a fresh start', no reall chance of getting anywhere etc etc) Am thinking of entering the Chicken House Times comp tho.

Thank you Belle. That is kind of what I hoped. The fortunately the advance isn't vital as I have other ways to fund the eating but it's good to know I'll get someone who know's what they're doing to bang it into shape.

How do the contracts work? Is it a flat fee or a % of each book sold?

Hi Grumpy

Chicken house times comp hey? (off to google)

I sort of have a publisher, they are interested in my kiddy novel (and some picture books) but asked for a rewrite. I've approached an agent who's advised me to send it to an editor at my expense, apparantly this is normal for a debut author as the agents can no longer afford the time to help with the manuscript as there's no guarantee that they can sell it until a writer is more established. Mine needs a lot of work (first novel, not written at all before) so I've had to listen to the agent and pay.

Contract wise, NEVER accept a flat fee. A % is better, more of a risk though as they (god forbid) only sell 10 books or they could sell a million.