Sunday, May 22, 2011

One Week Left: First Draft of Novel

I'm close enough now that I'm going to go out on a limb and say the first draft will be complete 1 week from today.

But immediately I have to put a caveat to that and say that it won't actually be readable that day because more than 1/2 of it will only be in a spiral-bound notebook that is rarely out of my sight.

It makes me more than a little nervous that I have 100 hand-written pages (closer to 125 when typed) that exist on paper only. I'm a product of this time - while I love the feel of pen and paper I only feel something is permanent when it's in an easily reproducible computer file.

So, one week until the draft is complete, at least another to type it up, a couple of weeks more to implement changes I already have in mind...might be ready for real editing at the end of June.

The pace is slower than I like but I know it would be a grave mistake to rush it out and not try to make it the best it can be. I've learned a lot from the short story and I want to make sure those lessons are put to good use.

1 week.

I wonder how long it will take to give it a real name? Calling it no-name-novel, or novel-of-40-names, is getting a bit awkward.

1 comment:

Leedra said...

I just bought your short story on my Nook, so Jimmy can read it. Not sure how long it has actually been available on the nook.

# Pieces Written

Scripts - 3

4 if you count re-writing Sleeping Beauty, Hillbilly-style, in High School

Novels- 1 + .1 + .7

Can I count my 14 or so mentally composted story ideas? No? Drat.

Short Stories - 2

I'll say two officially, so far (one of those still needs to be typed up)... I lost at least 2 of my old ones and I've wiped the slate clean.

Poems- 3...4? 42?

I won awards for 3. After that I lost count.