56 replies to this topic

[Frodo]

Good luck when you take it to the publisher.

[Playbahnosh]

Just dropping in.

Novels, well yeah, I did start three of them already...and didn't finish them. The first one I started back in secondary school, was an adventure novel of some sort, with a pretty obscure storyline, with fallen angels, demons, private detectives and lots of fish (don't ask). The second one was a space opera-esque novel, based loosely on Freelancer (the game), I had the whole story outlined, got all the characters and I even imagined a few awesome plot twists, but then I got overwhelmed with other things and soon lost the drive to finish it. This was the longest one I wrote, extending over 64 A4 pages.

A few weeks ago I got another idea for a novel, which I haven't even started yet, but when I think about it, it should be awesome. It's a...um...can't really say the genre, but it's full of mistery, philosophy, and the quirks of human nature, and of course the ultimate question: death, and beyond. I can't really tell you anything about the story without spoiling it, but rest assured, Stephen King, Philip K. *putz*, or Asimov would write something like this (if still living that is). This idea just struck me while I was on a train, traveling home. It was just too awesome to be ignored.
Well, I don't think I'll write it in English, but if it gets published, I'll have it translated, so you can read it.

But chances are, I won't finishe this one either. Meh. If I had a little more drive...

[Juni Ori]

It takes a lot to get it even the story outlined, not to mention to actually write it. But worst of all is the editing. About two weeks, no progress. I know very well what to do, what to fix, what to add, what to remove... It's just that I don't got any sort of motivation right now. Taken into consideration how long this thing has taken - at least two and half years plus the years before that the idea taking shape inside my head - couple of weeks or even a month doesn't mean a thing. Even still, that's wrong route of thinking. It must be done some day...

[Juni Ori]

The end is closer and closer, only 25% of the text to go through and I've skipped only one part, which was way too difficult for me then. Let's see can I fix it later - or ever. That one part, about thousand words, is the only thing I can see that could delay the book anymore. The rest, except perhaps for the few add-ons I'm doing there, should be like a walk in the park.

The path so far has been painful. Painful, but beneficial. I'd estimate I've lost 4.31% of my sanity doing this! (And how much I had left is totally different issue! ) Do I regret starting it? Sometimes I did, when I couldn't get further on it. Sometimes too, when I had to do huge changes in it and I knew how much work it would require to maintain the chronological order and references within the text. Now, being so close to the end I don't. Every day I get further and the remaining text to edit reduces, my focus turns more and more to the problematic part.

One thing I've learned during this project: how you can just let go on with the flow, but still keep to your plans. One goods example is where my main-character is trying to persuade his gf's father to accept their marriage. The character is little rugged veteran and I permitted myself to daydream the situation and wrote it all the same time like a maniac. All of the sudden I realized, that he suddenly spoke way too politely and was just about to edit, when I decided that I make his gf realize the same - and they had met briefly when this veteran was disguised as a wealthy merchant with good manners. So in the end they both realize it and the veteran is more careful about how he speaks.

One dangerous, but still possibly beneficial thing is music while writing. If you or winamp changes to too aggressive music while you've planned softer approach, you may end up butchering everyone in your book! Also, if you listen too epic song, you may end up posting this kind of posts without ending... At least until the song ends. Final beats of Ghost Love Score playing now.

[Frodo]

Just think how good you will feel when it's all finished.  It's a HUGE task to write a book, and you perserveered brilliantly.  

Just don't listen to any growly stuff while doing it.  

[Juni Ori]

Quote

perserveered

Hehe, hopefully my book doesn't have that uncomprehensible typos!

[Frodo]

It's just a teeny moostike  

[Juni Ori]

This is too common phenomenon: I get stuck to everything else but the book... Forgot to mention: 42k+ words.

Immediate edit: >42k looked strange, so I changed it into 42k+.

[Juni Ori]

Three weeks, not much progress... And I only have several small things to do to finish the whole thing! Everytime I take my hand written notes and edits and sit in front of monitor, I end up doing everything else but the book. *sighs*

[Frodo]

Okay, you can't listen to any more Amorphis or NW until you get this done!
How's that?  

[Juni Ori]

If that would had been the problem, all I'd have ready so far would be the title...

[Frodo]

Idon't mean it's the problem.  I mean it as incentive to get you finished.