Another writing support thread

[LaBarbera]

Hi all,

I've been lurking here for a while! Now breaking cover to ask if anyone wants to chat during drafting/revisions/submissions/whatever circle of Hell you're in.

Mine is, I think, a literary novel of sorts, historical and with a fantastical element. I don't know if it's good, though feedback is promising, but I do know it's the best thing I've written so far. I am currently on my third draft, and copying over/writing in a new document, which is going well. I'm anxious about wordcount, though, as it's short at the moment and neither I nor my mentor can see anything obviously missing or any big pacing problems. I'm hoping that taking the time to draw out those moments of discovery or change or suspense will take it into short-but-publishable territory.

Anyone else? :)

[LouisaMayAlcott]

@everythingcrossed I've had one with a publisher and one with an agent. Both very different. One of them said what worked with it and what didn't. She didn't ask me questions really, but I did have a bit of a pitch prepared in case she just told me to pitch it to her - like a cross between synopsis and an elevator pitch, explanation of the theme and how it links to the protagonists. The other appointment was easier, she'd read my first chapter/synopsis and liked it so went through things she liked about it and I was able to ask questions off the back of bits the publisher had not understood. And yes, she did then ask to see the full.

Good luck with it! If I were you I'd prepare everything I could but remember nobody knows your book as well as you do and all agents are looking for the next new thing!

[everythingcrossed]

I will definitely be preparing - I am already TED-talking the shit out of it . Thanks for your steers, Louisa.

[LaBarbera]

This is all very exciting! I really hope it all goes well, and please keep us updated. I say this hypocritically, because I completely vanished from here for a while -- sorry.

Novel revisions are moving ahead slowly, but I've had a lot of (very difficult, rather less exciting) paid work to deal with and have been fending off depression as well. I'm fortunate enough to live near(ish, within a bus and a train of) my hero's house, which has been preserved, and the nice people there let me go in and haunt his study whenever I like. That really cheers me up and I always have at least one plot insight, but I do wish the actual writing didn't feel so sloggy right now.

[everythingcrossed]

Oh, LaBarbera, I thought you must have NCed as I hadn't seen you post in a while. I'm sorry that you've been feeling low, I can't imagine that that makes writing any easier. But, the good thing about working on a book is that it's not a race - you set your own goals and, if you have to adjust them, so be it, there's no one to let down. I hope you feel ready to get back into it again soon (and sloggy is an excellent choice of word, by the way ).