Novel Update...If I ever thought this was going to be easy....

As some of you know, I've been plugging along writing a YA novel. I anticipated completing it by the end of the summer and querying agents this fall to see if this story stands any chance of seeing the light of day beyond my computer screen. Well, I am definitely off my own time table. And let my tell you why.

As I complete a round of revisions, I print the entire novel and read the hard copy. I can't emphasize enough how important this is. My house may be scattered with papers, but it's a necessary step. You'd be amazed by what you catch reading the hard copy that you simply don't pick up when you read on a computer screen. I'm not just talking about typos, which seem to be there no matter how many times you read the darn thing, I'm talking about how the writer picks up on all the extraneous words, redundancies, phrases that don't capture the meaning you intend...I could go on and on.

Working on My Novel: The Revision Process.

I'm happy to report that I have completed the story and I'm on my second round of revisions before I formally submit it to an agent. If you've never done this, you may think the job is done when you can write "The End" on the last page, but really, the work is only just beginning. No matter how much I believe I'm done, I always find ways to improve the writing when I go back to it.

Some agents were kind enough last night to have a chat and answer whatever questions you may have about getting published, what they do etc. I asked what do they see too much of in the way of the topics submitted to them. The answer was paranormal romance that is derivative, in essence, stories that are a copycat of what's already out there. A lot of folks envision themselves writing the next Twilight.  I have a suspicion that publishers want a book that has Twilight sensibilities, but has a new, unique spin--and this doesn't necessarily mean vampires. In fact, you'd probably be better off if it didn't have vampires because they are so prevalent, it's hard to stand out now. One agent confirmed this when she told me publishers are looking for a book that generates the same kind of emotions Twilight did.

I've been fooling around with two stories. One is a contemporary YA and one is a paranormal. I'm not sure how I ended up writing this paranormal story. It popped into my head and evolved. It flowed out and I wrote it down. I love to read a good romance and writing one has proven to be so much fun. I try to think of what girls would like to read. Books are a way to escape into another world and I want that world to be as intriguing as possible.

Of course, I know a publisher may have no interest in publishing my story, but I'll try and see if I get any bites. If I don't, my friends have certainly had a good time reading it, so I know someone enjoyed it and I  had a great time writing it--no matter how things turn out.

Toodles!

Revision one, two, three...

I've had a fairly steep learning curve as I began to formulate my novel. I bought books and searched for information on line about the craft of writing and story telling. A consistent theme was the need to revise and edit your writing.