Musings

[Nateskate]

I'm just blowing off steam. Not bad steam, just plain white steam.

It feels like I've been here forever, and by now I should be on book ten or eleven. Every now and then I get that same feeling when I come here that I get when I walk by the guy at the library desk who asks, "How's the book coming?" Far too many people know I'm writing a book!

I owe a hundred first copies, signed of course. People at work are expecting me to ride up in a white Mercedes after my first or second million comes rolling in, at which time I buy dinner for the office and quit my day job. This is all because of an inadvertant "Woo hoo" that bleeped out when I got an email from an agent. Sure they knew I was working on a story, but I think up to that point, it was in the same way that movie watchers knew that Russel Crow was working on government intelligence in "A Beautiful Mind".

For what it's worth, I haven't been signed. For what it's worth, I haven't been rejected either. I've never seen such a hurry up and wait business, but I was forewarned.

Yet, I'm not worried about it. As Uncle Jim suggested, write the best book you can, and let the rest take care of itself.

Well, then of course, I never did anything the easy way. I had to finish the entire epic fantasy instead of one book at a time. And when I finished, that was only the beginning of rewrites. And although it was good enough for Beta Readers, I realized it wasn't near where it had to be.

And there was always one particular hitch, and Tolkien lovers might understand this best. My entire story is like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. The first series was not the beginning of the story. It was just Luke Skywalker's story. And I wrestled like crazy with how to give enough backstory to this series without gumming up the works.

Guess what happened? I wrote four different beginnings. And then guess what? I decided why not just begin at the beginning? That's not so easy, so stop laughing right now! :)

Well, that turned into the new book one!

I never planned to contact agents or do anything until Book one was finished. I wrote it out and gave it to a pro editor, one that I actually offered to pay, and had a down payment, and happened to be in london when the bombs went off. She had it, and my wife told her (not what I said) that I didn't expect it back until the end of the summer. (expecting it back in weeks)

Then things got sticky, because somewhere in this whole thing, before I got the edit back (Long story) I wound up sitting with a guy (truth) whose firm represented the Tolkien Estate. And I didn't know he was who he was when he asked about my story. (truth- I thought he was a college prof), or that a bunch of agents were about to show up at our table (truth is stranger than fiction) or that they'd be interested enough to ask me to write them.

Well, I kind of was "What do I do now? Wait for the edit, or send it now?" It wasn't that it wasn't presentable. I just never did this before and wanted a perfect manuscript.

It didn't matter. Either slugs deliver mail in New York, or clocks tick in a different cadence there, but I didn't hear a peep for nearly a month, and figured, "Oh well." (yawn)

I actually got 1/2 the edited manuscript back from the editor days after getting a reply from one of the agents (still haven't heard from the other???)

They were interested. (Woo hoo at work).

Now, the editor made this slight suggestion. (Add a strong female character) -excuse me? Did I hear you right?

Well, I could have argued. I had a strong female character, but they didn't count because they weren't quite human. But it made perfect sense. I have strong females in the rest of the books, but for some reason...

So, I spent the weekend doing massive re-writes, adding a strong female character to the front end of the story, and adding ten to twelve thousand words in the process.

I think in the back of my mind I wanted the editor to just write my story and give it back to me, but instead, she pushed me with questions and comments.

I hurried up and now I'm waiting again; but I'm not worried at all. Sure I'm hoping this agent is "The one".

It's been a war to get this story birthed. (Really)

Last comments. I love fairy tale and mythology-more than pure fantasy. To me, the greatest story ever (outside of religious domains) is the Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien. However, it was not written for the marketplace, and it is a hard read. It covers multiple generations and multiple races- over several thousand years. It is like the Old Testament in scope.

In my mind, the story I wrote first was akin to LOTR. All of the books somehow relate to a central character (my Frodo who isn't a Hobbit) and his fate.

I am now finished with (until publishers or editors tell me otherwise) book one. And I am profoundly "not" ashamed. No, I'm teasing. I'm not at all underwhelmed. I'm convinced it stands up with some of the greatest stories I've ever read.

It starts with the whimsy of the Hobbit, and ends with the grave severity of the Silmarillion. Though, I attempted to keep it more reader-friendly than the later, which is not a criticism of Tolkien.

And although there may be edits to be done in what is now book-two, it is done, and the now book-three is about 1/2 revised, close enough to done that I may pause for a happy sigh. Thanks for listening to my ramble.

And thanks to a bunch of you, who may not know this; but you were inspiration and encouragement, and mentors to me. But you'll have to wait until my book is a best-seller to get all of those tell-all details.

With affection, Nate

[LightShadow]

I can relate, and...I can't count how many times I wrote a new chapter one in front of chapter one, and then a newer chapter one in front of that, and so on. Isn't the misery of writing grand?

[Jamesaritchie]

One of the reasons I love forums such as this is precisely because of the "rambling" posts. That's not realy rambling at all, just dreaming out loud, with some personal history thrown in for good measure. You can't really know the writing without also knowing the writer. I enjoy seeing the road the writer travels enroute to the final destination of publish the book.

[azbikergirl]

I can so relate. Telling people I'm writing a book gets so many different reactions (not all of them positive or respectful), so for a while I quit doing it.

About those hundred signed copies... When I told my friends, coworkers and former coworkers that my book was accepted for publication, most of them asked when they were getting their signed copy. I told them I'd let them know when it was out, and when they buy one, I'll happily sign it for them! One friend actually complained that she had to buy one (why couldn't I give her one for free?). My response: aren't you willing to help me kick off my new career, to help me live my lifelong dream, by buying one copy of my book? That got some serious back-peddalling going!

[My-Immortal]

azbikergirl - Congrats on getting your book published! :)

Fortunately for me when I told people that I was writing a book I received fairly positive feedback (and of course the typical, 'I want a signed copy when it's published'.) I'm still trying to get it published and meanwhile working on the next book.

Back to work...take care.

[Nateskate]

I can relate, and...I can't count how many times I wrote a new chapter one in front of chapter one, and then a newer chapter one in front of that, and so on. Isn't the misery of writing grand?

I have some good chapters. I'm jumping way ahead, but I'm keeping them. If the books are a success, perhaps people will like to see some of the revised forms of the story. Or I could put them on my internet site (when I get an internet site)

For me the misery is in the revisions.

[Nateskate]

One of the reasons I love forums such as this is precisely because of the "rambling" posts. That's not realy rambling at all, just dreaming out loud, with some personal history thrown in for good measure. You can't really know the writing without also knowing the writer. I enjoy seeing the road the writer travels enroute to the final destination of publish the book.

Thanks. I like them too. The only difference is that now I'm who-the-heck-is? If the book gets published, and sells, then perhaps I'll be scrounging for these comments for a Writer's Digest diary- The insanity I endured to get pubished!

[Nateskate]

I can so relate. Telling people I'm writing a book gets so many different reactions (not all of them positive or respectful), so for a while I quit doing it.

About those hundred signed copies... When I told my friends, coworkers and former coworkers that my book was accepted for publication, most of them asked when they were getting their signed copy. I told them I'd let them know when it was out, and when they buy one, I'll happily sign it for them! One friend actually complained that she had to buy one (why couldn't I give her one for free?). My response: aren't you willing to help me kick off my new career, to help me live my lifelong dream, by buying one copy of my book? That got some serious back-peddalling going!

I tried explaining to my co-workers that if I make it, unless I hit the top 3-4% percent of those whose books become "The Next Nateskate", I'll be taking a paycut. People still think if you get a book published you get rich. I have big hopes, but I haven't put a down payment on a Mercedes. In fact, I have three more years of payments on my present vehicle.

[PattiTheWicked]

I tried explaining to my co-workers that if I make it, unless I hit the top 3-4% percent of those whose books become "The Next Nateskate", I'll be taking a paycut. People still think if you get a book published you get rich. I have big hopes, but I haven't put a down payment on a Mercedes. In fact, I have three more years of payments on my present vehicle.

What I like is when you tell people "I'm writing a book" and some yutz says "Cool! Are they going to make a movie out of it?"

Once I explain to them that (a) the book ain't done (b) still don't have an agent (c) haven't sold the book to a publisher (d) even if I do, it's gonna be another year before it's on a shelf and (e) there are no damn hollywood "movie fairies" who show up in the night and turn unknown authors books into major freakin' motion pictures, well, by the time I get through all that they've lost interest and ask me, "Okay, but what do you do for a LIVING?"

[WSB]

I'm just blowing off steam. Not bad steam, just plain white steam...And although there may be edits to be done in what is now book-two, it is done, and the now book-three is about 1/2 revised, close enough to done that I may pause for a happy sigh. Thanks for listening to my ramble.

Well I have to say Nate, I applaud you for even GETTING that far! I'm still stuck in the Perfection-or-Nothing-Must-Fly-From-My-Fingertips phase. Yeah, I'll get over myself eventually. LOL But congrats, it sounds like you're on the right road, even if it's a loooooong one! You know there's got to be a big payoff somewhere. :)

[brinkett]

I must be in the minority. Nobody in RL knows I write except me, my partner, and my beta readers, and I've never met any of my beta readers in person.

[Cathy C]

Well, if it helps any, Nate -- you're not alone! I'm presently trying to create a salable book from one of (I kid you not!) SEVEN full drafts of the same story. My co-author was the lead on the book, and it's been in some stage of rewriting for the past ten years. It's finally getting its turn, but I'm tearing my hair out trying to drag a cohesive plot from the various versions! :Hammer:

[Nateskate]

Well, if it helps any, Nate -- you're not alone! I'm presently trying to create a salable book from one of (I kid you not!) SEVEN full drafts of the same story. My co-author was the lead on the book, and it's been in some stage of rewriting for the past ten years. It's finally getting its turn, but I'm tearing my hair out trying to drag a cohesive plot from the various versions! :Hammer:

That's a great deal of writing! Whew. I've written a great deal over the years, but most of the actual stories were pre- word processor, and actually written in hand. One day I was going to pay someone to type them out, and then the kids needed braces. Then my work forced me to learn how to type, gave me a WP, and I jumped back into the fray.

I never started out to write an Epic Fantasy. I was writing about issues. In 1995 I was also involved in family counseling, and during this one particular period, it seemed like all of these fixable marriages were going down the tubes. In fact it was like a plague hit. It wasn't just marriages, but parents and children and every other kind of relationship under the sun. People were just angry and didn't want to bother anymore.

It bothered me so much that I decided to write an allegorical story about an enchantment of bitterness coming upon the world, where the moral of the story was holding onto hope and not giving into the madness. A dark cloud passed over the land, causing societies to unravel. Of course, there was a sinister evil within the cloud.

In that same period of time, I wrote a YA story for my friend. We have children the same age, and so I made up a story about a journey that led to what amounted to a pimple in the pacific, a tall narrow mountain amidst perilous rocks. In other words, some place nobody else would want to go. And yet, it was like the tip of an iceberg, an opening to an underground world.

Fast forward to the internet. And eventually I decided to write a story series for friends, and drew from my allegorical story and this fantasy, and a hybrid story came out. It was they who said, "You've got to publish this!"

I said, "There's no way this can be published unless I fill it out, and give people eye color...etc." But so many people were pushing me, I did fill it out, and wound up with 1/2 million word story. It was already a series before I began to do a serious revision.

[Nateskate]

Well I have to say Nate, I applaud you for even GETTING that far! I'm still stuck in the Perfection-or-Nothing-Must-Fly-From-My-Fingertips phase. Yeah, I'll get over myself eventually. LOL But congrats, it sounds like you're on the right road, even if it's a loooooong one! You know there's got to be a big payoff somewhere. :)

I just can't do the perfection in the first phase. What works for me is getting fresh ideas out, and the rough direction, and riding waves of mementum. The down side of that is that I have to clean up slop and fix things.

In fact, this was a major problem. In my rewrites, I would glide through parts that needed minor fixing, thinking, "Yes, I can do this!". And then I would hit a chapter and think, "What made me ever think I was a writer, I can't do this!"

Then I said to myself, "If this story was given to me, then the rest of it will come. Just fight through it."