Okay guys, I need some help here. This here is a sample of my WIP. I'm 20k in, and depending on how the story goes, I'm either 1/3 or 1/4 through the story. I'm a short-story writer, so going beyond 20k words feels like a tall order. I basically have the whole story (and then some) in my mind; however, translating it into words elude me. I'm still amazed at writers (both published and non-published) who can write 60k words or more for any one project.
If you have the time and patience, please have a read, please retweet, and please drop me some comments (on the post or as an email). I also appreciate some love and words of encouragement, but above all, I appreciate honesty.
Thank you in advance!
I think, unless you've made drastic changes, that you already know what I think--it's unique enough in setting and storyline that it should sell, and anyway I want to know what happens. Of course, you know more about writing (esp. writing long fiction) now than you did, I think, when you started this, but polish is easy. I vote you keep it.
(And anyway I won't finish Shift if you don't finish this, so there!)
Posted by: Breanna | Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 03:26 AM
Just an idea -- you could go the Joy Luck Club route. I'm not sure if you have read the book, but it is essentially a novel made up of short stories.
The common thread is four Chinese immigrant women who meet weekly to play mahjong together in the titular Joy Luck Club, and the narrative unravels by flashing back to their individual pasts prior to coming to America before finally returning to the present with a poignant denouement that wraps the story up.
This was, interestingly enough, a literary technique used in the historical penny dreadfuls of the 19th century, and it's slowly coming into vogue again.
So, no, don't force yourself to write a conventional novel. Play to your strengths as a short story writer and go with your gut.
Posted by: John Ling | Friday, January 28, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Raven...noooo, I want you to finish Shift. It's such a good read, honest. I don't know if the storyline is unique enough, because it's a fallen angel preventing the end of civilization...banking on the setting would seem like using a crutch.
John, I actually thought about that. I'm using that technique with another novel WIP, a contemporary "New Adult". Still, both my books are neglected. If only I have your writing discipline! Hope to read your novel soon.
Posted by: Fadzlishah Johanabas | Friday, January 28, 2011 at 01:46 PM
Don't worry. It's a marathon, not a sprint. The important thing is that you're taking your time and having fun with creative process. It's not NaNoWriMo, nor should it be. Some works-in-progress are more elusive and slow in eventualizing than others!
Posted by: John Ling | Monday, January 31, 2011 at 10:05 AM