Quick Update

I apologize for missing my posting earlier this week.  Things have been a little crazy around here.  So I'm just going to give a quick update on where I'm at.

I finished a second (or is it third?) review of the manuscript, tightened up some plot points and rewrote the ending.  The ending still needs some work, but I'll get back to that.

I've decided I need to write-out a character from the original draft.  She felt like a 2D stereotype and didn't add much to the story.  In fact, she wasn't physically in most of the story, usually appearing only through phone conversations.  I figured out a way to replace her, so I'm going to do it.  But that means a lot of revision, and one more pass on the manuscript before Beta. 

The new ending also beefed up another character for me, and added a new dimension to the story that I have to scatter throughout the manuscript.  I think it will be much, much better this way.

All of these changes have really cut down the size of the manuscript.  I'm down to about 60,000 words, which is a little short for a novel.  If I continue to slice and dice, it could go even lower than that (and might be better for it).  I'm considering calling it a novella now instead of a novel.  There are issues with that, of course, including that novella's are often difficult to sell through Traditional Publishing, but I'm thinking I don't want to go that route...much to ponder before fully making that decision, but I'm thinking about it.

I should have a Beta Manuscript by the end of the weekend.  My Beta Readers are lined up and ready to go.  Then it will be a month-long "break" from the novella.  I have a couple of story ideas that I'm going to start working on during the "break" to see if anything sticks.  I also have a short that I want to clean up and post for free online.  And I'm going to put up my own website soon too, so you can look forward to that.

Well, so much for a "quick" update.  There really is a lot going on!

Reading outside my genre

Last week I took a trip to London for work.  Thanks to long waits and longer flights, I actually had time to get some reading done.  I finished Ariel a few weeks ago and needed something new, so I went on my Kindle and downloaded a bunch of samples.  I ended up buying The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. 

Nicholas Sparks is well-outside my normal genre.  However, some writers and publishers advise reading outside your genre to learn new voice techniques, writing styles, character development, and world building techniques.  Since I've been reading science fiction and fantasy almost exclusively for the last ten years or so, I decided to branch out on this trip and try something new, hopefully learning a thing or two in the process.

Since my novel is told in multiple first person, I wanted to learn how to avoid confusing the reader in regards to which character is speaking.  The Last Song is written in multiple third person, so I thought it might be a good choice.  Granted, being told in third person instead of first makes it easier for the reader to remember who's speaking, but Mr. Sparks does a wonderful job of changing the tone of voice depending on the character that is being followed. Each character is distinct.  You can tell from the language used that the father is older, while the daughter is in the midst of teenage angst.  However, as she grows and matures through the course of the novel, so does her voice.  Word choice is critical, helping to develop the character while also engaging the reader.

As is typical of a novel by Nicholas Sparks, the ending was a tear-jerker. I even cried a little.  I'm going to re-read some of the novel to try to understand how and when I became so emotionally involved with the characters.  I want to learn how to create that same emotional tie between my characters and the readers.  I'm sure there's an element of innate ability, but I hope I can learn more from a master by reading his books.