The Novel Challenge Hub

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Back briefly to thank all of you before diving into edits...again. Usually I love edits, but that last round was the worst!

Cheering everyone on!

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[KitCat]

Originally Posted by bettielee

Hey everyone! Proud to say I'm back at work... on the wrong book.... but I am editing.

This will happen when you have four books to edit.

Hey editing is editing! they all have to be done sometime right


I was stopped dead in the water for a day or two after losing a handwritten page i forgot to type up, still couldn't find it :P but I sat down yesterday and rewrote the passage and am back to rewriting again *phew*

[AnnieColleen]

Checking in - I'm almost exactly halfway through a revision outline (a paragraph or so per scene, with a fair amount of detail), and really happy with it so far. I'm kind of amused that the full outline document* just hit 50K, with half the plot still to go.

*This is outline + brainstorming + character/world/etc. notes, a lot of which should've been done before the first draft. I tend to think on paper (so to speak), and I dumped it all into one because I was curious how much it came to. Now I'm tempted to try to do a 'planning draft' like this as this year's NaNoWriMo, because otherwise I'm not sure I'll have anything ready to go by November!

[bettielee]

I'm in serious danger of actually finishing this edit.

Like for real. It's terrifying.

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Keep going, Bettielee! And all the rest of us too!

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[bettielee]

Finished editing Dreadlight this weekend, but I'm printing it out tomorrow at Kinko's and then going through with a fine tooth comb...

[Ses]

OH, very cool!
Congrats!

So, I've never actually printed one of my books at a copy store. Do they look at you weird, because that is going to be one of my new writing steps in a couple of weeks....kind of embarrassed about it...

[Torill]

I am so sorry I haven't been here since January....

Here's the story:

Shock and horror - my contemporary fantasy WIP had reached a frightful 150K with 1/4th left to go! 120K being the accepted pain threshold for a debut fantasy novel, I knew this one never get an agent! I lost faith and I lost momentum. I couldn't write the ending when I knew I was already so hopelessly outside any reasonably limit... So - nothing else for it

but to start cutting!!!! Decided I had to get the damn mastodon down to under 100K, if I were to have enough words left to write the ending I wanted, and still clock in under 120K. This made it painfully clear: I would never reach my set goal of starting the querying process at the end of May. So

I deserted this thread. (Hangs head in shame). It was a very stupid thing to do. This place did a lot to help me keep up my motivation. Plus, I feel very bad for leaving the rest of you, who want a friendly cheer leading group just as much as I do! That's why we all come here, right? To get cheered at and cheer each other on? I'm so sorry I deserted you all! Still

I went at it. I did. Scrutinised my whole manuscript, one sentence at the time, axe at the ready. Every single word needed to put up a damn good defence, if it was to escape the death penalty. It was slow work, and at times I DID lose my motivation. Spent days and sometimes weeks away from the computer, dangerously close to the pit of despair... or depression. But I always came back to it. I did. I cut and rewrote, cut and rewrote, and finally


I finished it! I got there! At the end of last month, I had brought the whole thing down to 95 K!! Yes, it still needs editing and polishing, and the new beginning especially I'm not too happy with - but I now have enough room to write the ending! I've decided my absolute limit will be 125K, so now have 30 K to write the rest.

Felt a bit awkward about coming back here, so did a bit of lurking. And of course, discovered that I'm not the only one. (Where does that idea come from anyway, that the rest of the world experience smooth sailing, and will always reach their goals on their set date, and only I will have problems? Very bad idea!

So - creeping back now to see how you all fare and cheer you on, and keep writing till I finish! (And won't put up another date, just keep at it till I'm done...)


to you all, and to those of you who finished your work since I saw you last! You go!!!!!

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Congrats, Bettielee!

No, Ses, I don't think people will look at you weird. Copy stores are for copying, right?

Torill, wondered where you'd gone off to. I tend to go the other direction and write too little and then have to go in and see where I can amp it up without bloating. But I did have a moment of wondering if I should throw the whole thing away. Glad you're back. And congrats on getting the word count down out of the clouds.

My editing is going okay.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[mrajotte]

After 2 weeks off, it's back to the novel. It currently stands at just over 96K and about 10 more scenes to write.

How long does everyone take off between a first draft and editing? I imagine it differs for everyone, but a ballpark would help greatly!

[Siri Kirpal]

Originally Posted by mrajotte

After 2 weeks off, it's back to the novel. It currently stands at just over 96K and about 10 more scenes to write.

How long does everyone take off between a first draft and editing? I imagine it differs for everyone, but a ballpark would help greatly!

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I just take a few days. Then I read through the entire work, see where the holes and excesses are, make notes, and go from there. This works because I revise as I write the ms. I do revise the last section written before this read through, so everything is more or less on the same level.

Hope that was clear. Blessings on your process.

Cheering everyone on!

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[Torill]

So now I'm back with my nose to the grindstone! Have to go through all the careful plotting I did before Christmas - all the detailed timelines and background material of everyone involved, and everything that's been going on behind the scenes of what I've written so far - because this is when I'm picking up all the loose ends to tie it all together. So - not written any actual new words today. But yes, working! Think I put in something like four hours today, and plan to do a bit more before I go to bed. Not too bad, although it could have been more.

@ Siri Kirpal - Thank you. Good to hear that I am remembered and someone has wondered - and glad to hear your editing is going okay and you didn't throw the whole thing away! Yeah, that's how it feels sometimes when you get stuck. Good you're back on track.

Hi mrajotte! Good luck with your remaining ten scenes! I'm like Siri - I edit as I go, over and over, until I'm satisfied - so I guess I don't have any break from draft to editing. But yes, this does vary among writers, so I'm sure others here will give you different answers.

[mrajotte]

Thanks Siri & Torill for your input!

This will be my first completed novel, and I have been making extensive notes as I go for things to check, add, fix. So hopefully that will help when it comes time to edit. Either that, or it will drive me mad.

[Sarah G]

Hey guys,

Checking in Congrats Torill that's awesomeI don't think I'd be able to cut that muchand congrats Siri on completing and starting edits on your book and to Congrats to everyone else

I put my writing on hold for a while. My books need slightly more planning as I found a couple of plots that need going over. In addition, one book that was going to be the start of another series might now become the second book in the first series So; I am hoping to plan for the rest of July; then re draft book one in August, using it as my campNaNo project

[Ses]

Originally Posted by mrajotte

and I have been making extensive notes as I go for things to check, add, fix. So hopefully that will help when it comes time to edit. Either that, or it will drive me mad.

It will drive you mad....
I have an entire folder devoted to edit notes. Plot points I want to expand, motifs I want to make sure I carry throughout the novel, a list of unwanted overused and tired words I tend to use in every first draft and second and third draft consecutively, weird questions about grammar, points I feel need re-researched, etc., etc.

But it does help too!

[Aggy B.]

Been a while since I checked in on this thread. Got a bit sidetracked with some short story commitments, but those are now out of the way. (Well, one is in the final editing stage before anthology submission time.)

I have broken the 50k mark on the novel and started the downhill slide to the climax and wrap-up of the book. This has meant killing a number of scenes and a few plot elements that were awesome, but didn't serve this plot arc too well. (Besides, they are all things that will work better in later books.)

So, I'm working on finishing up the last 30 - 40k words of the novel, compiling a list of agents and brainstorming a query letter in the hope that I can get this thing out making rounds in another couple of months.

[mrajotte]

Originally Posted by Ses

It will drive you mad....

Well, that's something to look forward to!

I'm hoping to start the editing process at the end of August, so I'll keep you posted - hahaha!

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Good work, Aggie!

Sarah, the rest and regroup strategy sometimes works wonders. Hope it does for you!

Editing is going good. Should be done with the first round before betas (and my mother, a retired English teacher) tomorrow or Tuesday, God willing. Have run my short synopsis by one of my betas. Still have to write the long version.

Cheering everyone on!

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[Torill]

Hi everyone, checking in...

Typed out a little over 4K shining new words since I was here last. Have to admit I'm angsting a bit when I see my work pass the 100K mark again. Worked so hard to get it down under 100K...

But. Absolute limit is 125K, manuscript now stands at 101 387 words, and if I follow my outline, I've got only 7 chapters more to write. That means an average of 3K per chapter. Come on, Torill, you can do that!

@ mrajotte Yeah - I've got a notebook full of memos to self about my manuscript as well. Plot points to remember, questions that need to be answered, themes that need to be followed through. Of course it may be possible that some of them are no longer valid, since I have cut so much and also changed or deleted some subplots.

My plot is sort of complicated, lots of different characters with conflicting motives, and lots of stuff going on behind the scenes, some of it to be revealed only in later books (if anyone wants to buy this one, that is... ) So - need to keep my tongue straight. And of course, I need to be careful about the logic of my worldbuilding as well. (I don't write your traditional high fantasy with a complete, alternate universe - but still, the fantastic elements need to be explained and add up!)

Now I'm looking forward to the final editing. Imagine having an actual, finished manuscript to polish and tweak! But yeah - once I get there, maybe it will drive me mad as well!

@ Sarah G Hi Sarah, nice to see you again! And thanks. I didn't think I would be able to cut that much either and I nearly gave it up before I started - but it proved easier than I thought. Of course, it took forever....

Good luck with your drafting! I came to that very same point last August - had to sit down for several months and do some serious plot revision, look hard at the logic of my story and write a lot of backstory for several of the characters. Hopefully it will make the ending easier to write now.

@ Aggy B Congratulations with your finished short stories! Hope you'll get them well placed in the anthology you're submitting to. And congrats with breaking the 50k mark of your novel! Killing awesome scenes is hard - I have a few tugging at my heartstrings, too, begging to be put back into my book, but sadly, I have no room for them... Great to hear you can make use of them in later books, that's no good work wasted then.

I have a few query drafts sitting in well buried files in my comp, too. They're crude and clumsy and awful - I really dread the day I have to sit down and write one for real... But you've maybe done them before? Good luck anyway!

@ Siri Kirpal Good to hear the editing is still going well. Here's hoping your betas will come back with helpful advice and lots of encouragement.

Keep up the good work everyone!!

[Ses]

Originally Posted by Aggy B.

I have broken the 50k mark on the novel and started the downhill slide to the climax and wrap-up of the book. This has meant killing a number of scenes and a few plot elements that were awesome, but didn't serve this plot arc too well. (Besides, they are all things that will work better in later books.)

I heard an interesting thing the other day. We all known the phrase or advice or whatever you want to call it--murder your darlings. Debra Monroe author of Shambles and 8 other books said: Don't every murder your darlings. Save them for later!

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I think the phrase "murder your darlings" is a darling that needs murdering!

I finished pre-beta edits last night. Will wait and send out to the first reader on Thursday.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

[sky warrior books]

Sorry I haven't been here much. I'm at 41,000 on Daemons and Shadows with a projected finish at 50K. Not sure the book makes sense yet, but there you go.

[Eliza C]

Finally -- forward momentum again! I finished the pre-beta, final draft of my second novel on target at the end of March. Beta readers already had most of it. Final comments came back shortly after. And there it sat. And sat. And sat.
I worked on my query for about a month (seriously! -- okay, to be honest, probably more than a month), but didn't do my final beta edits. I wrote and subbed new short stories, and still couldn't bring myself to do beta edits. Recently, I finally got my query where I'm happy with it, and still didn't do beta edits.
This past weekend I finally started beta edits! Got a hundred pages done over the weekend, and it really wasn't that bad If I can stay on track and do around 50pp/day on my days off, I should finish once and for all by the end of next weekend! Hopefully, I'll be posting that I'm DONE and the book is out the door soon!

[mrajotte]

Way to go, Eliza! Sometimes you just need to put it aside in order to see things more clearly. I hope the rest of the editing goes well for you!

[KitCat]

Yay Eliza good job, keep it up!

For my own part, I started back at the beginning with rewriting after i was a quarter of the way through simply because I wasn't happy with the way it was going. I'm not back to the point at which I stopped, so I hope it goes faster now *is impatient*