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Post by CtraK on Jan 5, 2011 12:51:36 GMT -5
I haven't been motivated enough to resume any of my writings as everytime I get a good pace going I come up with another idea and abandon the one I'm doing in favor of the new idea. Never do that. The sensible thing is to have a separate file, note down as much detail as necessary and move on. Of course, the "move on" bit is probably the toughest, especially if you have an overflow of ideas. The choice, though, is most likely between people reading some of your stories in due course, or nobody reading any of them ever, and the second one defeats the point of writing any sort of fiction. Another thing I find is that, if you can look back over the ideas file after having those ideas hang around inertly for months (or even years) and they still hold up, then that cuts things down to two distinct possibilities - 1. they're genuinely good ideas, even when viewed with a fresh perspective, or 2. they're crap and you're(/I'm) really, really delusional.* *which never did Stephenie Meyer any harm </obligatory potshot>. |
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Post by Amaranth on Jan 13, 2011 1:26:56 GMT -5
50K is the minimum for an actual novel, by what NaNoWriMo says. So, 68K sounds like a nice sized book. What's it about? In terms of what i've read, publishing will generally require at least 60 as a bare minimum. I was concerned about the length of something I'd like to get published, which is moot as it's somewhat shy of 40K. So...Can we see it, Shane? |
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Post by Shane for Wax on Jan 13, 2011 8:38:05 GMT -5
I'm thinking of putting it on Lulu. It depends on the research I do.
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Post by Amaranth on Jan 13, 2011 9:51:03 GMT -5
Never heard of Lulu before.
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Post by wmdkitty on Mar 17, 2011 23:24:25 GMT -5
Neither have I.
And I second the request for posting 'em.
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Post by HarleyThomas1002 on Mar 18, 2011 0:58:39 GMT -5
I haven't been motivated enough to resume any of my writings as everytime I get a good pace going I come up with another idea and abandon the one I'm doing in favor of the new idea. Never do that. The sensible thing is to have a separate file, note down as much detail as necessary and move on. Of course, the "move on" bit is probably the toughest, especially if you have an overflow of ideas. The choice, though, is most likely between people reading some of your stories in due course, or nobody reading any of them ever, and the second one defeats the point of writing any sort of fiction. Another thing I find is that, if you can look back over the ideas file after having those ideas hang around inertly for months (or even years) and they still hold up, then that cuts things down to two distinct possibilities - 1. they're genuinely good ideas, even when viewed with a fresh perspective, or 2. they're crap and you're(/I'm) really, really delusional.* *which never did Stephenie Meyer any harm </obligatory potshot>.I actually came up with another idea, but rather then abandon what I'm currently writing I just wrote down what I came up with. Whenever I finish the current story/novel/whatever I'm writing I'll either give it some more thought and start or resume work on one of the first three I started work on. |
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Post by MaybeNever on Mar 18, 2011 1:05:39 GMT -5
Mark Twain said that he wrote a book as long as it was writing itself, but as soon as he had to actually work at it, he'd put it away and work on something else.
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Post by Amaranth on Mar 18, 2011 7:49:26 GMT -5
Mark Twain said that he wrote a book as long as it was writing itself, but as soon as he had to actually work at it, he'd put it away and work on something else. This is pretty much my new business model. |
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Post by CtraK on Mar 18, 2011 13:51:06 GMT -5
I'm thinking of putting it on Lulu. It depends on the research I do. The SFWA have a piece here about POD; they're sceptical (naturally) but they also stress that it depends on what you want to achieve with it. As for the whole "publishable length" issue, I've heard 40k cited as the lowest length necessary to qualify as a novel, but 80k-120k as being the publishable range (any less and they assume it's YA, any more and it's too long to market for a new author). |
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Post by Shane for Wax on Mar 18, 2011 14:38:16 GMT -5
I was told if it was over 60K publishers wouldn't think about it for a new author.
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Post by Amaranth on Mar 18, 2011 15:12:38 GMT -5
I'm thinking of putting it on Lulu. It depends on the research I do. The SFWA have a piece here about POD; they're sceptical (naturally) but they also stress that it depends on what you want to achieve with it. As for the whole "publishable length" issue, I've heard 40k cited as the lowest length necessary to qualify as a novel, but 80k-120k as being the publishable range (any less and they assume it's YA, any more and it's too long to market for a new author). A 120K word novel is doable, but keep in mind it's 480 pages (roughly). It's unlikely you'll see first time author get published like that. Even in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, that's long for most types. At least, again, as a first novel goes. And knowing this, I want to know HOW IN THE NAME OF SWEET FUCK STEPHANIE MEYERS GOT TWILIGHT PUBLISHED! Amazon lists it at 540 pages. Head asplodingly awful AND long, evidently. Fantasy Epics seem to be immune to this, but most people don't write Fantasy Epics. Even in the Epic Fantasy genre. XD. |
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Post by Shane for Wax on Mar 18, 2011 15:14:36 GMT -5
Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels got lucky because of how utterly massive they are.
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Post by MaybeNever on Mar 18, 2011 15:52:04 GMT -5
And knowing this, I want to know HOW IN THE NAME OF SWEET FUCK STEPHANIE MEYERS GOT TWILIGHT PUBLISHED! I seem to recall that she knew somebody who knew somebody, or some similar state of affairs. |
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Post by Amaranth on Mar 18, 2011 16:01:47 GMT -5
And knowing this, I want to know HOW IN THE NAME OF SWEET FUCK STEPHANIE MEYERS GOT TWILIGHT PUBLISHED! I seem to recall that she knew somebody who knew somebody, or some similar state of affairs. Which reminds me. I know someone who's in publishing. It's a shame I told her husband to fuck off for being a fundamentalist. |
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Post by HarleyThomas1002 on Mar 18, 2011 18:01:51 GMT -5
Mark Twain said that he wrote a book as long as it was writing itself, but as soon as he had to actually work at it, he'd put it away and work on something else. That is quite interesting. I would consider it if I knew something would eventually get done. |
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