Synopsis: As a state's child, Cera grew up loyal to the government that raised her. But when her best friend dies in an influenza outbreak, she begins to realize her government isn't perfect, and the war they're planning might not be in the people's best interests. Then there's the secret she's keeping about Jorn, an alien stranded on her world. Falling in love wasn't in her plans, but neither was befriending a man from another planet, rescuing him from the enemy, or becoming disillusioned with her way of life.
Okay, so this novel is kicking my butt on several levels! It was supposed to be a simple sci-fi romance, where a girl falls in love with an alien visitor to her world. Somehow, politics crept in, along with military and espionage, all topics I know very little about. Then it became more about the MC's disillusionment than the romance. Then someone told me it was dieselpunk, because it's set on a world that's about the equivalent of our 1930s-1940s, but with a few alien twists. Now, I don't know what the heck this story is supposed to be. . . . But I know I need help whipping it into shape.
The length is an issue. Originally, it was a 90K story, except it wasn't finished, and I knew that by the time I wrapped everything up, it was going to be some ridiculous length. So I found a suitable stopping point and chopped off everything past that point, figuring I'll use it for a sequel. But that left me woefully short of a full-length novel. I need to beef up a few scenes, maybe add some new scenes. But I'm not sure where. See, I've been working on this novel for something like six years, off and on, so I'm entirely too close to the story. I don't know what works and what doesn't anymore.
That's precisely why I need a beta-reader. Someone who can tell me, "This scene is too short, add more about blah-blah-blah, here." Or "Why on earth didn't you just blah-blah-blah?" I'm sure there's easy, simple solutions to all the issues, but I just can't see them because I've read/edited the story too many times.
This is my third novel, so I've plenty of experience with the beta-process. I can take criticism well, so long as it's not deliberately cruel or harsh. Some of my best work has come from questioning a beta's comments, which led to some great back-and-forth discussions. At this time, unfortunately, I'm not in a position to beta-swap, due to failing health.
Any volunteers? Please PM me and I'll send you the first couple of chapters.
Okay, so this novel is kicking my butt on several levels! It was supposed to be a simple sci-fi romance, where a girl falls in love with an alien visitor to her world. Somehow, politics crept in, along with military and espionage, all topics I know very little about. Then it became more about the MC's disillusionment than the romance. Then someone told me it was dieselpunk, because it's set on a world that's about the equivalent of our 1930s-1940s, but with a few alien twists. Now, I don't know what the heck this story is supposed to be. . . . But I know I need help whipping it into shape.
The length is an issue. Originally, it was a 90K story, except it wasn't finished, and I knew that by the time I wrapped everything up, it was going to be some ridiculous length. So I found a suitable stopping point and chopped off everything past that point, figuring I'll use it for a sequel. But that left me woefully short of a full-length novel. I need to beef up a few scenes, maybe add some new scenes. But I'm not sure where. See, I've been working on this novel for something like six years, off and on, so I'm entirely too close to the story. I don't know what works and what doesn't anymore.
That's precisely why I need a beta-reader. Someone who can tell me, "This scene is too short, add more about blah-blah-blah, here." Or "Why on earth didn't you just blah-blah-blah?" I'm sure there's easy, simple solutions to all the issues, but I just can't see them because I've read/edited the story too many times.
This is my third novel, so I've plenty of experience with the beta-process. I can take criticism well, so long as it's not deliberately cruel or harsh. Some of my best work has come from questioning a beta's comments, which led to some great back-and-forth discussions. At this time, unfortunately, I'm not in a position to beta-swap, due to failing health.
Any volunteers? Please PM me and I'll send you the first couple of chapters.