In the fallout of Banff, I forgot to mention something that I accomplished during that week. I finished the first draft of my fifth novel: The Nameless. I don’t know what genre it would fall in (horror, thriller?) which could be a problem.
What if you had the power to erase one terrible event from your life? What if that event didn’t want to be forgotten?
I am pleased with the first draft. I know I’ll have a ton of work editing it — especially with all I’ve been learning the past few weeks. I’m trying to set goals for myself for editing — maybe a chapter every two weeks? Every three weeks? It’s hard to decide because I’m already so busy with writing, critiquing, and editing (do you know how much TV I’ve watched since Banff? 2 hours: hour 1 and 2 of this season’s LOST).
Looking waaay back at my writing, I have accomplished a lot. The early criticism of my work was the my characterization and dialogue was weak. That was probably my first two novels (Hunger of the Wolves and Maw of the Defiler). I really worked on it with Nathaniel and then I went back to the drawing board Five Times with The Nameless.
So in Banff, my strengths were listed as characterization, voice, and dialogue.
The Nameless has the best characterization yet (not to be confused with best characters — that still goes to Nathaniel and the now-deceased Hulg).
So what will happen when I set my mind to editing? Will I have the flawless prose of someone like Bev (her work has very few red lines through it)? I’m hoping so. I hope that if I work at this, my writing will become very polished.
I guess the easiest way to look at editing is like the reno’s. Only look at this “house” as THE house by which you will be forever measured by. So don’t stop until it feels perfect.
And then do that for every “house” you write hereafter.
John — you have house renos on the brain. See what happens when you put that first hole in the wall? You just don’t want to stop. Then you’re out buying tools, wood, and figuring out new rooms to renovate.
Except you do have a great analogy. Houses. Interesting. Can I just hire someone to do it for me then? Can I call in favours and have other people write my new ‘houses’. Damn.