Scribbles & Munch

      Just in case you've been wondering where I'm at in the grand scheme of writing things, I've actually been doing a lot.  My new daily routine allows for at least a solid hour of writing every morning, while I enjoy my breakfast.  The situation is ideal for me: wake up, make tasty food, eat part while checking email and reading my daily webcomics, and then finish up my tea while working on stories.  I honestly love my mornings.  How many people can say that?

My idea of heaven is to spend a week at a gourmet bed & breakfast with a view of the ocean, and be able to spend my days writing and walking, well-fed in body and soul

      As for WHAT I'm writing...well...that's a different matter.
      Once upon a time, I wrote a gas lamp fantasy manuscript about two demons trying to be human, two women trying to be themselves, a curse, and a conspiracy to bring hell on earth.  I *loved* writing this story.  And it was ridiculously long.  Like, 150k words long.  No way any editor in their right mind would accept a manuscript like that from an unproven author.
      So I did the intelligent thing and divided it into two books.  Now I had two manuscripts, each of the perfect length, and honestly I thought they were both pretty good.  I got some good feedback from beta readers, trimmed some parts, lengthened others, and firmed up the dialogue a bit.  And last year I submitted queries to several different agents.
      I got a few nibbles, but no bites--which isn't a big surprise.  Had logic prevailed, I would have shelved the manuscript for the time being and gone on to work on other projects (how many have I got in the works now? Seven?  Eight?).  But I have this problem: I think this story is the best work I have ever done.  I think the plot, the characters, the world, the language, all of it is seriously solid.  I read other published novels that are in the same genre and I think, "But my story is BETTER than this one!  How'd this get published, and not mine!?"*
      I'm biased, of course.  Not only because it's my work, but because I know it so well I can't be objective anymore.  It's too familiar, so I can't tell where there are holes in the plot, or if important scenes are understated or over-dramatic.  Of course I strive to be thoughtful and intelligent in my approach, but that's not a perfect guide.  In fact, there are times I suspect I'm downright wrong.  Such as my latest idea.
      "Clearly," I thought, "the problem is that the story needs to be a TRILOGY!!!"
      Just writing this makes me want to smack myself on the forehead.

If you ever catch my trying to make this into 4 books, please, please stop me.

      So yeah.  I've spent the last couple months dividing my two novels into three, re-arranging some of the scenes, adding back in some deleted material, and adding new bits to try and create compelling individual story arcs.  Believe me, I am in no way entirely convinced this is a smart move.  But there was no way to know until I'd done it, and once I started, I'm committed.
      I just finished the first draft of book one.  Now I get to tackle book two.  That's going to involve a lot of scene re-arranging.  *sigh*  My plan is to finish a first draft of the trilogy, and then ignore it for a few months while I work on something else.  Then hopefully come back to it with semi-fresh eyes.  And maybe shell out the bucks for a professional editor, because at this point, all my dear, dear friends who volunteer as beta-readers have already gone through at least one version of this thing.
     This is why I write first thing in the morning: creativity flows best before I actually let myself think.


*Not to misconstrue my ego, it should be noted that this is not my reaction to most novels.  Most novels I read with mingled joy, envy, and despair, thinking: "This is so freaking awesome!  I wish I could write like this!  But I don't think I'll ever be able to write like this!  Therefore I will go eat more chocolate, and read the next chapter, instead of doing the dishes!"