230 pages, infinity to go..

[tsubasahome]

I'm working on my story more steadily now. I've got 10 pages of Chapter 10 typed up, needing serious edits but up all the same. I'm clocking 230 pages now. It's double-spaced, so I guess the actual page count would vary widely depending on what the final typeset is... If I'm lucky the first 1/3 of the story will be done by Christmas. I wish! I'm at a loss because if I want to get this book published, no publisher is going to want a trilogy from some person they've never heard of, but if Part 1 is 230 pages already, can I really slap all 3 storylines in the same book? It was my original intention to have it all be one book taking place over the course of 10 years. But at this point, each part seems like a stand-alone story...at least, it could stand on its own because each part will have its own mini-climax and resolution. If that's the case, it's going to be one long book...

Of course, I wouldn't consider doing anything with this story until the entire thing is finished. I'm not nervy enough to present anybody with a book and say "There will be sequels", but not having written them yet. There is a definite beginning, middle, and end here, and even though a lot of things may change, I know how it will end.

It's my dream to produce a book that many, many people will read and enjoy. I'm so far from the end that I can't even correctly address my biggest fear--that this book that I've been planning and writing since 2002 is never going to see the light of day.

Right now, the only part I haven't worked on at all is Part 3. I wrote the story all the way to the end of Part 2, realized the story needed some big changes, and made those big changes in Part 1. Part 2 may need less editing. I'd like to think that since I'm working so hard on this, it won't just wind up in the garbage, but it's a tough world out there...

Comments

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm currently reading Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale, and that's almost 800 freaking pages long.

I really don't know how things work out. I think you should write until it seems done and then decide if big pieces of it need to go.

At the same time, it's best not to keep all your eggs in one basket. Even if this book ends up not fulfilling your dream, you'll write others. You've been writing since you could hold a pencil. You aren't going to stop after one book!

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Actually, a lot of publishers *like* it when a writer has a whole series in hand, ready to go. I was just reading an article in the Costco magazine, of all things, discussing how YA literature readers get attached to characters and prefer series to standalone characters. I can't see them changing their minds as they get a little older. Also, there's a lot more different niche publishers than there used to be, some of the online folks do real short things and others can do huge long files without worrying too much about storage space, so that's not the same concern as with paperbacks and hardbacks.
The perception of quality of work is much more important.
If you're concerned that it "feels" long, having somebody beta-read it, see what they think. There's a lo of good ones in fandom who also read and edit original fic.
Also, lj has a fair number of actual pro editors posting who will tell you what they're looking for and give samples of opening chapters and where the problems are. Don't know if you walready have some o fthem on your flist?

[tsubasahome.livejournal.com]

The only person I've had read my story is my sister(who is a very harsh judge, but not as harsh as me, ha ha!), and she claims she was able to get through it pretty quickly. It doesn't feel overly long to me at this point...but it's told in the first person, and the main character starts off knowing as little as the reader about her surroundings, so there's a lot of dialogue and very little exposition.

I've done some research on the pitfalls of trying to get your work published(and have been suitably discouraged), but I don't belong to any writing communities--I feel like I've been trying to keep the actual story a secret, for some reason. ^^;; Once I'm at least a little bit satisfied with it myself, I'll be ready to show it to somebody else.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

You'll know when you feel ready to have other folks look at it. AT this stage, just wroking on it is the best thing you can do, without worrying too much right ow what comes at the next stage.
And congrats on working on something, too, creating story out of thin air! It's wonderful!

[tsubasahome.livejournal.com]

I think Bjork said something about recording an album being like childbirth, and that's the way I feel about writing. It feels totally different from writing fan fiction(not that I haven't enjoyed writing fan fiction, but it's more for entertainment purposes). As difficult as it is, there's something very invigorating about writing and editing, swapping around paragraphs and coming up with little ideas while you're in the shower and being forced to scribble them on toilet paper with eyebrow pencil... The hardest part is coming up with the embryonic idea for a story and being really attached to it, but thinking that in its simplest form, it's stupid and struggling to hammer it into a usable shape. ^_^ And you keep thinking, is this just a bad idea at heart, or can I work with it and make it not bad any more? ^^;;;