Wa-Hoo! I finished my novel! YAY!

[shadowkat]

Wa-hoo! I finished my novel! I finished my novel! It clocks in at 96,973 words and approximately 255 pages. It only took me two years and three months to write. Best thing I've ever written in my humble opinion.

Now, comes the hard part. Revising? Nope. Having other people read it. Then sending it to literary agents and publishers. Then working on the next book in the series. Hopefully, with a full time job, I can clock in a novel every two years. Not giving up the day job any time soon. I come from a long line of frustrated novelists and artists on both sides of my family.

Feeling very proud of myself right now. Even if nothing comes of the novel. There's an odd feeling of accomplishment when you've completed one.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[ladystarlightsj.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Go you!

[fresne.livejournal.com]

That's excellent. Congratulations!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Didn't manage to do it in time for that contest, but oh well. At least it has been completed. Now I'm re-reading and pencil revising. Keeping a notebook to jot down all the character names, clothing, props, locations, to ensure consistency. One of my biggest problems with writing is maintaining consistency. It takes me so long to write the things and I do it so sporadically, that I often forget minor details and lose consistency.

How's your novel coming? Did you finish in time for the contest?

[fresne.livejournal.com]

Yes, and no.

I finished two days prior to the deadline. Submitted to the contest based on the contest description page. On the morning of the deadline, I got an email saying that I hadn't followed the submission guidelines as listed on the FAQ page, which (if this were technical documentation) I'd say bad on them because they did not agree with the statement on the submissions guidelines page. But in retrospect, I should have been more paranoid.

In any case, in a somewhat gotta go to work paniced state, I made the change to my submittal, but in doing so grabbed the wrong file. Which is to say, I had made changes to the novel so it would meet their max word requirements on a chapter, by chapter basis, and I grabbed the wrong one. I got an email the next day that my submission did not meet their requirements.

Sigh.

"Keeping a notebook to jot down all the character names, clothing, props, locations, to ensure consistency. One of my biggest problems with writing is maintaining consistency."

I know what you mean. I drove Karen crazy on the alpha draft. Which is funny, because I took notes.

Anyway, good luck with the revise.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

What a headache, I'm so sorry about the contest. If it is any consolation my mother told me she'd seen an article in the paper regarding it - apparently the contest originally required an entrance fee. Something like 50 dollars or thereabouts. But no one was submitting. So they changed it. Also quite a few people complained about the submission guidelines and how incredibly confusing and contradictory they were. I thought they had clarified some of that. But from your post, apparently they hadn't.

Sigh.

The scary thing is the contest was hosted by the marketing/acquisitions department of one of the major NYC publishing houses - either Simon & Schuster or Random House. There really is no excuse for not being clear about this. If you expect people to comply with your requirements, you should be clear regarding them.

Oh and thanks. Have made it through four chapters so far. This is really and truly my first draft...since I didn't really revise much as I wrote it, which I used to do. Just wanted to get the story out.

[anomster.livejournal.com]

Mazel tov, s'kat! That's great! Three days ago--wow, I gotta check LJ more often.

That's a really good idea to keep the notebook. Once I copyedited a Western in which the author mixed up the names of 2 characters--after 1 of them had been killed.

Good luck getting it published--I hope to get a chance to read it!

[dherblay.livejournal.com]

Yay!

Congratulations!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

OMG! I am so thrilled!
Now be sure to make several disk copies and keep them safe (some fire proof box, or mailed to an attny w/a fire proof box...)!

This is really great, you know I was reading an amazing article in the New Yorker recently (you probably read it too) about a Black writer who never finished his second novel because the early draft was lost in a fire and he could just never managed to get back to it. You really over came a huge obstacle when you had to rewrite what was stolen, and I admire you more than I can say for not letting that set back keep you from finishing.

We should have a party! LOL

Re: Congratulations!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I learned a great deal writing this book.

Good advice. Must go get the last ten chapters saved. About 80% of it is already of course. And I've printed off most of it. Also sent a good portion to my email account.

RE: the second bit - luckily for me, I didn't lose the whole thing, just 40-50 pages, which weren't amazing. Not quite the same as losing an entire draft.

I dealt with the missing pages and the incident in an odd way - which wouldn't work for everyone or everyone's books. I just wrote the robbery into my book which fortunately for me resolved a plot problem I was having prior to the incident. It helped me come up with a realistic, pertinent event to thrust my central character into the midst of. Basically turned a negative into something positive. Which in a way is one of the central themes of my novel - finding a way to make life work for you, even when it throws you curve balls and doesn't give you what you want.

Re: Congratulations!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I hope I'll have the opportunity to read it some day...
that is a theme which seems so important on such a basic level. It seems to me that a lot of unhappiness comes from trying to keep things the same while in fact the only constant in life is that everything is always changing (growing, dying). Happiness can only come from adapting to change, but of course I'm always stuck in a rut! LOL

[ann1962]

Congrats indeed!

[beanbeans.livejournal.com]

Hearty congratulations to you! Hurray! :D

Best of luck to you with the revisions and getting it published as well. You have my every confidence.

*pops champagne*

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks. The getting it published is the hard and scary part.

If only it were as easy as writing the thing...which is saying something.
But I think about people online who are published writers and have struggled to get there - sometimes, you just have to keep jumping on the bike, even if you know someone is going to knock you off it.

[beanbeans.livejournal.com]

Indeed! That's excellent advice, shadowkat.

I have so much respect and admiration for you.

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Wow, congratulations!! Very cool, s'kat! You should definitely feel proud of yourself!

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[arethusa2.livejournal.com]

You're an author! Horray! Whether or not you get it published, you know you can do it.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Getting published is the tricky part. Had to not think about it too much to get the thing written.

I won't deny it's a dream. I fantasize about it. But trying very hard to keep my hopes grounded. Step by step. Gone through the process before - with my last book, which currently sits in a box beneath my bed. This book is much better, and more publishable, even if it's just the first draft.

And you are right, a great deal can be gained just by finishing the book, whether it be your first or your fifth.

[atpo-onm.livejournal.com]

Way to go-- Congratulations!

[cjlasky.livejournal.com]

I am elated for you, proud of you, and (I have to admit) somewhat envious of you.

Let's get this puppy on the bookshelves!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Don't be too envious. Getting a book published is akin to pulling teeth unless you have *cough*contacts*cough* or got an MFA from Iowa Writers Workshop.

[cjlasky.livejournal.com]

I don't envy the idea of trying to get the book published. I envy the discipline it took to write the book--something I've never had. Finishing the book is an enormous triumph in itself.