Sunday, April 8, 2012
Why I need an Editor
It's been an awesome couple of weeks - in fact, 'awesome' seems like too small a word to encompass what's been happening. :-) So I guess I'll start that the beginning:
Constant readers of this blog will know that I've been busy with the 3rd draft of Betrayal's Shadow for a while now - I've basically been adding plenty, re-writing what I've already written, and trying to edit as I've gone. The result was that the story seemed to be working much better than it did - the characters had better motivations, their arcs made more sense (isn't retrospect an awesome yet -at the same time- insanely irritating thing?), and the world in which Betrayal's Shadow takes place became fuller and more 'real' if you know what I mean.
During all of this writing I'd submitted the manuscript to Barbara Friend Ish at Mercury Retrograde Press, this made possible by Edward Morris, one of the authors published by MRP. The manuscript had been with Barbara for a while and as I patiently (and I'm not just saying that, Barbara will back me up) waited for Barbara's response I though I'd push on with the 3rd draft - after all, writing is not something that ever stops: it's something that sinks in deeper than marrow. :-)
I got an email from Barbara that really gave me a boost - she liked what I had written and saw the promise in the novel, and left the decision up to me as to whether I would want her input and advice on the manuscript. Which, of course, I did!
So for the past three or four weeks (maybe less) I've been re-writing Betrayal's Shadow - Barbara had some very helpful thoughts regarding characters and plot arcs that I either just didn't think about or thought that I had dealt with properly. The thing is, the novel has taken over completely now - it's not just a case of me writing to complete a manuscript that I can be proud of (and I was always proud of it, I just never thought that said-pride could grow), it's now a case of writing something that encompasses as much as a proper novel should - character motivations and plot arcs, world building, etc. I thought that I had a pretty good novel, and after Barbara's comments on the manuscript I've realized that the novel has way more potential than even I realized!
So far I'm one prologue and two chapters into the re-write, and as I'm writing I'm trying to keep in mind what Barbara brought up - I really need to raise my game to get this novel to the level that she may want to publish, and since I want to be published and since I'm also proud of this tale and want to share it with as many people as possible, that 'raising of the game' is not only difficult, a challenge like no other, but exhilarating and satisfying, too. Looking back, I almost can't believe that I wrote this novel without the input of an editor - there's so much editors see that the writers just don't or -because they are too close to the tale- can't.
So, yep, I have an editor, and I'm working hard on making this novel better than it was - to play in the big sandbox that is published genre fiction I really need to learn as much as I can, and I'm so proud that Barbara saw enough in the manuscript to choose to be the one to teach me. :-)
So, thank you, Barbara, for everything. You rock! :-)
(Apologies for the one-paragraph post - I tried to get the paragraphs separated but Blogger didn't seem to want to work with me...)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Research is never just research
Let’s give you a catch-up, shall I? I’ve finally had my appendix removed – on Thursday morning I had abdominal pains, went to work (almost collapsed a couple of times on the way), and after about half an hour was dropped off at the hospital. After almost a full day of tests I was booked in, and on Friday my appendix was removed. Consequently I’ve been booked off until the 7th of March, so I’ve got a lot of time on my hands – enough to hopefully recuperate and get plenty of writing done. :-)
As it stands I’m hovering at the 50k mark of the 3rd draft of Betrayal’s Shadow – it’s been slow going the last couple of weeks, due mainly to me being damned tired and concentrating on relaxing as much as possible, but also because of some of the changes I brought into the novel. I’ve introduced some new characters, given others a fuller role, and even changed some completely, so I’ve had to rewrite plenty of scenes so that they fit properly into the new narrative. I think it’s working, though – the novel definitely seems much more complex and there are plot threads that have returned after being excised more than 8 years ago in previous attempts at writing the novel. There’s much more I need to keep track of, but I’m enjoying the challenge – now, instead of two main plot-threads there are four, which will (hopefully) interweave and set up the two other books of the trilogy. I’ve also got some ideas for a second trilogy, but that’s for much, much later. :-)
Anyway, while I’ve been relaxing I’ve been reading more non-fiction. I’ve been reading Christopher Kelly’s The End of Empire, which focuses on Attila the Hun and the offensives that led to the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire. The book has not only been interesting, in terms of reading up on Attila, how he rose to power, how he skillfully and brilliantly played the Romans and Goths for utter fools, and so on, but also because I never realized that so little is known about him and his people. I mean, the only reason we know that Attila ever lived is basically due to the effect his existence had on the Roman world – there isn’t much physical evidence of his existence, or of the Huns. Even the last great battle that Attila fought before he died cannot be fixed to a certain location. And here I thought that there was plenty of evidence and information about him and the Huns!
What I also discovered were some very cool and interesting historical figures that are echoed in characters in some of the Epic Fantasy I’ve read. For example, there was a certain eunuch, Chrysaphius, who schemed to assassinate Attila – he makes me think of Varys, the Spider (from A Song of Ice and Fire). :-) And there was also mention of a Goth that made me think of Coltaine (from Steven Erikson’s Deadhouse Gates). These stood out for me because it made something clear – history is amazing and beautiful and unendingly interesting and can also be read for enjoyment, not just research. I don’t know whether anything I’ve read in The End of Empire will be useful but it’s damned interesting, nonetheless. :-) My next non-fiction read will be God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215.
So, read some non-fiction, even though it might not have any bearing on what you’re writing at the moment – you never know when a seed may be planted. :-)
As it stands I’m hovering at the 50k mark of the 3rd draft of Betrayal’s Shadow – it’s been slow going the last couple of weeks, due mainly to me being damned tired and concentrating on relaxing as much as possible, but also because of some of the changes I brought into the novel. I’ve introduced some new characters, given others a fuller role, and even changed some completely, so I’ve had to rewrite plenty of scenes so that they fit properly into the new narrative. I think it’s working, though – the novel definitely seems much more complex and there are plot threads that have returned after being excised more than 8 years ago in previous attempts at writing the novel. There’s much more I need to keep track of, but I’m enjoying the challenge – now, instead of two main plot-threads there are four, which will (hopefully) interweave and set up the two other books of the trilogy. I’ve also got some ideas for a second trilogy, but that’s for much, much later. :-)
Anyway, while I’ve been relaxing I’ve been reading more non-fiction. I’ve been reading Christopher Kelly’s The End of Empire, which focuses on Attila the Hun and the offensives that led to the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire. The book has not only been interesting, in terms of reading up on Attila, how he rose to power, how he skillfully and brilliantly played the Romans and Goths for utter fools, and so on, but also because I never realized that so little is known about him and his people. I mean, the only reason we know that Attila ever lived is basically due to the effect his existence had on the Roman world – there isn’t much physical evidence of his existence, or of the Huns. Even the last great battle that Attila fought before he died cannot be fixed to a certain location. And here I thought that there was plenty of evidence and information about him and the Huns!
What I also discovered were some very cool and interesting historical figures that are echoed in characters in some of the Epic Fantasy I’ve read. For example, there was a certain eunuch, Chrysaphius, who schemed to assassinate Attila – he makes me think of Varys, the Spider (from A Song of Ice and Fire). :-) And there was also mention of a Goth that made me think of Coltaine (from Steven Erikson’s Deadhouse Gates). These stood out for me because it made something clear – history is amazing and beautiful and unendingly interesting and can also be read for enjoyment, not just research. I don’t know whether anything I’ve read in The End of Empire will be useful but it’s damned interesting, nonetheless. :-) My next non-fiction read will be God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215.
So, read some non-fiction, even though it might not have any bearing on what you’re writing at the moment – you never know when a seed may be planted. :-)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The 3rd Draft
So, I'm busy with the 3rd draft of Betrayal's Shadow - and I've decided that I'm not going to *ever* say again that I'll be posting regularly (or more regularly), since every time I do something happens to get in the way. ;-)
Anyway, the 3rd draft is roaring along - passed the 40k mark a week ago and I'm really enjoying this because not only have I now got the opportunity to refine what I've already written but also to add what I think the story needs - extra characters, as well as giving already-present characters more of a role, and more plot-threads (mainly to provide some foundations for events in books 2 and 3, but also to add more to the story as a whole). The result is that the story has grown and I think the added depth works really well. I guess the proof will be in the submission, huh? ;-)
Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and kicking and writing. :-)
Until next time,
Be EPIC!
Anyway, the 3rd draft is roaring along - passed the 40k mark a week ago and I'm really enjoying this because not only have I now got the opportunity to refine what I've already written but also to add what I think the story needs - extra characters, as well as giving already-present characters more of a role, and more plot-threads (mainly to provide some foundations for events in books 2 and 3, but also to add more to the story as a whole). The result is that the story has grown and I think the added depth works really well. I guess the proof will be in the submission, huh? ;-)
Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and kicking and writing. :-)
Until next time,
Be EPIC!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Back in the Saddle (or perhaps I should say, 'Back in the chair, in-front of the screen')
Yes, I am alive. ;-)
It's been a helluva long time since my last post, I know! In fact, I think my last post was a post saying that I would be blogging regularly, right? Look how that worked out... :-P
Let's get into it:
I've submitted the manuscript for Betrayal's Shadow (2nd draft, 105+k words) twice, and been rejected both times. The first time was to Ronald Irwin, one of the only agents I know about in South Africa, and he sent the manuscript off to a new eBook imprint operating under Random House Struik (Random House's SA operation). In retrospect, the manuscript just didn't fit there, so I completely understand why it was rejected. Here's an excerpt from the email:
"Dear Dave,
many thanks for offering us the chance to consider your manuscript which I've had a chance to discuss with our publisher. We've decided, unfortunately to decline it. We've published just five books this year and need to wait and see how they do before publishing any more full-length works. In addition, as one of the first five novels was a fantasy epic itself, we're unwilling to try another one at this stage. We're likely to give priroty to shorter works next year, which will be less expensive to edit and produce.
I wish you luck in placing your work with another publisher, and I think you'll be better off with one with global marketing reach rather than our tiny operation at this stage."
So, not too bad, right? Sure, I was a bit down when I read it, but after having a couple of hours to think about it, I realized that it was by no means a You-Can't-Write-For-Shit-Rather-Go-And-Sell-Hotdogs rejection letter. It made perfect sense, even basically said that I waited a bit too long (which I did, for sure, just ask Ron) and helped me to make up my mind to try a bigger publisher.
So, next, I thought, "Well, Bud, before you can try a bigger publisher you need to try and get an agent who has been in the SFF game for a while now, a person who's got all the right contacts and who works hard for his / her authors. The first name that sprang to mind was, of course, John Jarrold. I get almost daily updates on the kind of stuff John and his agency are doing for their clients (for example, Rod Rees, author of The Demi-Monde saga, has already got 10 rights-deals), and I also didn't need to jump through hoops to submit my work to John. So I went ahead and sent off the MS. I got a rejection, of course, but it was an awesome rejection - a rejection that fired me up and motivated me even more. Here it is in full:
"Dear Dave
As promised, I have now read your material. I can see the imagination and intelligence at work here, and I enjoyed it, but I can’t honestly say I loved it. After fifteen years in publishing before setting up the agency, I'm all too aware how difficult it is to get a publisher interested in a new writer, so I feel that I do have to love my clients' work - personally and professionally - to do the best possible job. If I don't feel that strongly, I'm the wrong agent. Publishing is a notoriously subjective business, and every new author needs both an agent and an editor who do love their work. It's hellishly difficult getting the bookselling chains to take a new novelist seriously, so that initial enthusiasm is vital. If an author’s prose doesn’t set me on fire, first and foremost, I say no, as do editors in this situation.
Most UK editors see around thirty books every week and only take on one or two debut novels over an entire year.
The entry level for a new novelist now is 'special', not 'good'. This is partially because sales and marketing directors have so much more power than they did a dozen years ago. If they don't believe they will be able to sell a first novel into W H Smiths and the rest of the bookselling trade in numbers, they'll block the editor from acquiring it in many companies. A senior editor told me a few weeks ago that even if he loved an author's writing, he wouldn't make an offer until the book that was submitted to him was 100% right for the market - he has just acquired an author whose previous four novels he (and everyone else in London) had turned down despite liking them a great deal. Thus, I have to believe the writers I take on are truly wonderful, or it's pointless submitting them. There is nothing specific I can point at, I just wasn’t thinking WOW, which is what I look for. Another agent may feel differently, of course. So often, it's about unquantifiable gut reaction and the pricking of your thumbs.
FYI, I've taken on about forty writers as clients and turned down well over 8,000, so far...I know it can be as difficult to get an agent as it is to be taken on by a publisher. You just have to keep plugging away.
All best wishes."
Why did it fire me up, motivate the hell out of me? Well, John Jarrold didn't think it was a load of crap, that's why! :-D Also, his reasons make complete sense - just think of the plethora of awesome work out there at the moment and you'll agree. It's exactly as John said: The entry level for a new novelist now is 'special', not 'good'. And until the next draft of Betrayal's Shadow is 'special', I won't be submitting it. I'll continue working on a couple of other projects, sure, but Betrayal's Shadow 1.3 is going to be a helluva lot closer to special than it currently is.
And I've started already: as I mentioned in a post way back, I wrote 115+k words on various Fantasy manuscripts before I settled and began (and finished) writing Betrayal's Shadow, and two nights past I was going through the, looking for something -a new angle, if you will, of that little light that always motivates as it goes off in the mind- that I could read through, edit, and then carry on with. I found a piece - 8k+ words; a prologue and a full chapter. I've been going through it (started Chapter 2 this evening), and I already feel that fire, that drive. You see, I've got an entire novel in my head already (and enough info and thoughts for at least a trilogy), and now I can really experiment, change things up, throw everything in a blender, focus more and research more and have more fun. In fact, the story I actually wanted to tell is gaining even more detail and substance. :-)
So, getting a rejection letter isn't at all a bad thing - it's definately helped me to focus even more and to be even more excited. :-) Betrayal's Shadow will see print one day, that's a fact; and when it does, it's gonna knock your socks off!
Cheers to awesome rejection letters! :-)
Be EPIC!
It's been a helluva long time since my last post, I know! In fact, I think my last post was a post saying that I would be blogging regularly, right? Look how that worked out... :-P
Let's get into it:
I've submitted the manuscript for Betrayal's Shadow (2nd draft, 105+k words) twice, and been rejected both times. The first time was to Ronald Irwin, one of the only agents I know about in South Africa, and he sent the manuscript off to a new eBook imprint operating under Random House Struik (Random House's SA operation). In retrospect, the manuscript just didn't fit there, so I completely understand why it was rejected. Here's an excerpt from the email:
"Dear Dave,
many thanks for offering us the chance to consider your manuscript which I've had a chance to discuss with our publisher. We've decided, unfortunately to decline it. We've published just five books this year and need to wait and see how they do before publishing any more full-length works. In addition, as one of the first five novels was a fantasy epic itself, we're unwilling to try another one at this stage. We're likely to give priroty to shorter works next year, which will be less expensive to edit and produce.
I wish you luck in placing your work with another publisher, and I think you'll be better off with one with global marketing reach rather than our tiny operation at this stage."
So, not too bad, right? Sure, I was a bit down when I read it, but after having a couple of hours to think about it, I realized that it was by no means a You-Can't-Write-For-Shit-Rather-Go-And-Sell-Hotdogs rejection letter. It made perfect sense, even basically said that I waited a bit too long (which I did, for sure, just ask Ron) and helped me to make up my mind to try a bigger publisher.
So, next, I thought, "Well, Bud, before you can try a bigger publisher you need to try and get an agent who has been in the SFF game for a while now, a person who's got all the right contacts and who works hard for his / her authors. The first name that sprang to mind was, of course, John Jarrold. I get almost daily updates on the kind of stuff John and his agency are doing for their clients (for example, Rod Rees, author of The Demi-Monde saga, has already got 10 rights-deals), and I also didn't need to jump through hoops to submit my work to John. So I went ahead and sent off the MS. I got a rejection, of course, but it was an awesome rejection - a rejection that fired me up and motivated me even more. Here it is in full:
"Dear Dave
As promised, I have now read your material. I can see the imagination and intelligence at work here, and I enjoyed it, but I can’t honestly say I loved it. After fifteen years in publishing before setting up the agency, I'm all too aware how difficult it is to get a publisher interested in a new writer, so I feel that I do have to love my clients' work - personally and professionally - to do the best possible job. If I don't feel that strongly, I'm the wrong agent. Publishing is a notoriously subjective business, and every new author needs both an agent and an editor who do love their work. It's hellishly difficult getting the bookselling chains to take a new novelist seriously, so that initial enthusiasm is vital. If an author’s prose doesn’t set me on fire, first and foremost, I say no, as do editors in this situation.
Most UK editors see around thirty books every week and only take on one or two debut novels over an entire year.
The entry level for a new novelist now is 'special', not 'good'. This is partially because sales and marketing directors have so much more power than they did a dozen years ago. If they don't believe they will be able to sell a first novel into W H Smiths and the rest of the bookselling trade in numbers, they'll block the editor from acquiring it in many companies. A senior editor told me a few weeks ago that even if he loved an author's writing, he wouldn't make an offer until the book that was submitted to him was 100% right for the market - he has just acquired an author whose previous four novels he (and everyone else in London) had turned down despite liking them a great deal. Thus, I have to believe the writers I take on are truly wonderful, or it's pointless submitting them. There is nothing specific I can point at, I just wasn’t thinking WOW, which is what I look for. Another agent may feel differently, of course. So often, it's about unquantifiable gut reaction and the pricking of your thumbs.
FYI, I've taken on about forty writers as clients and turned down well over 8,000, so far...I know it can be as difficult to get an agent as it is to be taken on by a publisher. You just have to keep plugging away.
All best wishes."
Why did it fire me up, motivate the hell out of me? Well, John Jarrold didn't think it was a load of crap, that's why! :-D Also, his reasons make complete sense - just think of the plethora of awesome work out there at the moment and you'll agree. It's exactly as John said: The entry level for a new novelist now is 'special', not 'good'. And until the next draft of Betrayal's Shadow is 'special', I won't be submitting it. I'll continue working on a couple of other projects, sure, but Betrayal's Shadow 1.3 is going to be a helluva lot closer to special than it currently is.
And I've started already: as I mentioned in a post way back, I wrote 115+k words on various Fantasy manuscripts before I settled and began (and finished) writing Betrayal's Shadow, and two nights past I was going through the, looking for something -a new angle, if you will, of that little light that always motivates as it goes off in the mind- that I could read through, edit, and then carry on with. I found a piece - 8k+ words; a prologue and a full chapter. I've been going through it (started Chapter 2 this evening), and I already feel that fire, that drive. You see, I've got an entire novel in my head already (and enough info and thoughts for at least a trilogy), and now I can really experiment, change things up, throw everything in a blender, focus more and research more and have more fun. In fact, the story I actually wanted to tell is gaining even more detail and substance. :-)
So, getting a rejection letter isn't at all a bad thing - it's definately helped me to focus even more and to be even more excited. :-) Betrayal's Shadow will see print one day, that's a fact; and when it does, it's gonna knock your socks off!
Cheers to awesome rejection letters! :-)
Be EPIC!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Finally - I'm Back
So, I didn't post as regularly as I said I'd be posting, I know. :-( The thing is, the only way I have to connect to the internet now is through my phone, and since I'm doing that on a pre-paid basis, if there's no money, there's no new posts.
Anyway, what's been happening? Well, I've completed the second draft of the novel, written the synopsis and cover letter, and the whole package is with an editor right now in hard-copy as well as electronic format. Now the wait begins!
I haven't been writing much lately - I've wanted to get started on Book 2, but I just can't seem to get the right kick-off; since Book 1 ends with a (sort of) cliffhanger, Book 2 really has to open strong, so I'm stressing a bit about it. I also wanted to get started with the Urban Fantasy that's been knocking around in my head for years, but that's also been slow.
Other than that, I've started reviewing again - one review a week (or, as pre-paid internet connections allow), and I've been reading some awesome stuff. :-)
Anyway, just a quick update to let you know I'm still alive and kicking. :-)
Be EPIC!
Anyway, what's been happening? Well, I've completed the second draft of the novel, written the synopsis and cover letter, and the whole package is with an editor right now in hard-copy as well as electronic format. Now the wait begins!
I haven't been writing much lately - I've wanted to get started on Book 2, but I just can't seem to get the right kick-off; since Book 1 ends with a (sort of) cliffhanger, Book 2 really has to open strong, so I'm stressing a bit about it. I also wanted to get started with the Urban Fantasy that's been knocking around in my head for years, but that's also been slow.
Other than that, I've started reviewing again - one review a week (or, as pre-paid internet connections allow), and I've been reading some awesome stuff. :-)
Anyway, just a quick update to let you know I'm still alive and kicking. :-)
Be EPIC!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Upheval
So, I've decided (and these were some insanely difficult decisions) to stop reviewing at the SFF blog, at least for the foreseeable future.
Basically, I'm having a personal meltdown, but I won't bore you with the details. This blog will carry on, because I'll still be writing - in fact, I'll be posting more regularly than I have.
I'm about half-way with the second draft of the still-without-title novel, and while I was visiting my parents in Australia I rewrote and edited some short stories to get them ready for submission; I submitted Bloodheat to Weird Tales and Angelsong to Analog and I should be hearing back from them (hopefully with a yea and not a nay) in around five weeks.
I'm pushing to have the novel ready by the end of this month, as I've got some pretty cool interest in it - from here in SA as well as the US, and I've confirmed with two agents that I can submit the novel to them when it's ready. So hold thumbs for all of that, will you? :)
Anyhow, for all those out there who have an idea for a story and want some advice on how to begin, read this post at Magical Worlds by Fantasy Author David B Coe - very good advice! :)
Be EPIC!
Basically, I'm having a personal meltdown, but I won't bore you with the details. This blog will carry on, because I'll still be writing - in fact, I'll be posting more regularly than I have.
I'm about half-way with the second draft of the still-without-title novel, and while I was visiting my parents in Australia I rewrote and edited some short stories to get them ready for submission; I submitted Bloodheat to Weird Tales and Angelsong to Analog and I should be hearing back from them (hopefully with a yea and not a nay) in around five weeks.
I'm pushing to have the novel ready by the end of this month, as I've got some pretty cool interest in it - from here in SA as well as the US, and I've confirmed with two agents that I can submit the novel to them when it's ready. So hold thumbs for all of that, will you? :)
Anyhow, for all those out there who have an idea for a story and want some advice on how to begin, read this post at Magical Worlds by Fantasy Author David B Coe - very good advice! :)
Be EPIC!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Revisions and Realizations
Yep, I've been revising and editing, revising editing, for a while now. I'm not sick of the novel just yet, but I am getting there. :) Revising is awesome, though!
I've written a completely new first chapter, have taken out a battle that was an absolute pain and didn't actually do anything -well, not in terms of the body count, nor the explanation for the battle- I've introduced a new female character (the religious leader in the world I've created), and now I'm re-introducing the non-human character.
I've also realized -and it was one of those "Aw FUCK" moments- that my novel is nowhere near to being good enough to submit. So I won't be submitting it to Angry Robot Books in March.
I've been reading plenty of excellent fiction, lately, (The Mall by SL Grey, Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk, The Emerald Storm by Michael Sullivan) and I've resigned myself to understanding that I haven't done enough to actually make the story, the world and the characters, really come alive.
My characters need only small tweaks here and there, and that won't be a problem. The world, though... Suffice it to say that it's a bit empty. There's a lot more detail that I have to put in, ranging from everything to days of the week, army ranks and composition, calendars, etc. etc. etc.
And earlier today, while I was agonizing over how to replace the battle with something not as big but as useful, I started getting another avalanche of ideas. Basically, I figured out what needs to be changed (i.e. rewritten completely)so that the story has that extra spice that will go a longer way to making it something worth submitting. As things stand now, I'll just be embarrassing myself.
So I'm going to push ahead with the revisions and edits and complete the 3rd draft. Once I'm done with that I'm going to start writing the Urban Fantasy that's been floating in my head for years. I think a break from writing Epic Fantasy will do me good.
I'm slightly (fuck that, make it hectically) pissed off with myself - I probably wouldn't have gotten these ideas if I had given enough thought to the story before I started actually writing the book. But I'm glad it happened now - realizing that the novel needed plenty more work after I'd sent it off would have been extremely painful! :(
Anyway, hoping you're all good!
Be EPIC!
I've written a completely new first chapter, have taken out a battle that was an absolute pain and didn't actually do anything -well, not in terms of the body count, nor the explanation for the battle- I've introduced a new female character (the religious leader in the world I've created), and now I'm re-introducing the non-human character.
I've also realized -and it was one of those "Aw FUCK" moments- that my novel is nowhere near to being good enough to submit. So I won't be submitting it to Angry Robot Books in March.
I've been reading plenty of excellent fiction, lately, (The Mall by SL Grey, Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk, The Emerald Storm by Michael Sullivan) and I've resigned myself to understanding that I haven't done enough to actually make the story, the world and the characters, really come alive.
My characters need only small tweaks here and there, and that won't be a problem. The world, though... Suffice it to say that it's a bit empty. There's a lot more detail that I have to put in, ranging from everything to days of the week, army ranks and composition, calendars, etc. etc. etc.
And earlier today, while I was agonizing over how to replace the battle with something not as big but as useful, I started getting another avalanche of ideas. Basically, I figured out what needs to be changed (i.e. rewritten completely)so that the story has that extra spice that will go a longer way to making it something worth submitting. As things stand now, I'll just be embarrassing myself.
So I'm going to push ahead with the revisions and edits and complete the 3rd draft. Once I'm done with that I'm going to start writing the Urban Fantasy that's been floating in my head for years. I think a break from writing Epic Fantasy will do me good.
I'm slightly (fuck that, make it hectically) pissed off with myself - I probably wouldn't have gotten these ideas if I had given enough thought to the story before I started actually writing the book. But I'm glad it happened now - realizing that the novel needed plenty more work after I'd sent it off would have been extremely painful! :(
Anyway, hoping you're all good!
Be EPIC!
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