Tomorrow, I'll be printing out the first ten pages of my nano novel ("The Imperfect Mirror") and taking a red pen to it (only not really because all I have is black ink pens :D). I'm going to rip those first ten (approximately) pages to shreds and piece it all back together in an attempt to make it better/longer/captivating. I also have to rework some characterization so there aren't too many unanswered questions at the end.
I mentioned on facebook that I already have scenes planned out for the sequel, but I'm going to try and resist the temptation to start writing it until I've gone through at least half of the first draft (~70 pages). I'll be working ten pages at a time (more or less, depending on the content) and I'm going to take as much time as possible going over it all. I'm going to let other people read it and critique it and I'm going to take their ideas and mash them in where I see fit. And once I finish all 136 1/2 pages, I'm going to go through it again and make sure everything makes sense and that there aren't any glaring plotholes, inconsistencies, fluff, or typos. I suppose I will then go over it one more time (maybe two more times, depending on how I'm feeling) and consider sending the manuscript to a publishing company. I'll need an agent so my work doesn't end up in a slush pile, and that'll be expensive, so God only knows when this whole publishing scheme/idea could take place. If it takes place. But wouldn't it be cool to see my own novel chilling on the shelves of Barnes and Noble? #dreams
If I did all this correctly (and I probably didn't because I'm not the greatest with math), I'll probably still be editing and writing the sequel while I'm enrolled in a creative writing class and later on, hopefully, a novel writing class. All of this will be happening at the same time as NaNoEdMo (which I signed up for today--it's in March and the goal is to log 50 hours of editing time in one month), which will either be helpful or distracting. I guess I'll find out. :P
I've been making a list of all the things I want to do during editing:
1. Make it suitable for a Young Adult label.
2. Make it funnier.
3. Make it as interesting and hard to put down as a John Green novel.
For this, I'll need a LOT of help from friends and family. I think I know what I have to do to make it Young Adult, so I can do that mostly on my own; however, making it funnier and more captivating will all depend on the people I let read it. I'm approaching quite a few different types of readers with it, so I should get a lot of suggestions and I'm really, really excited about it. I know Nicole will help me make it comedic, and I know Dylan and Bekah will help me make it more interesting, and I know Jenelle will help with characterization and reality checks (she's already doing this--God bless her), and everyone else will probably help with everything.
I think the hardest part about this entire thing is putting my work out there where anyone can see it. My family can see it, and I know they'll be proud of me for actually writing it, but will they be proud of what I've written? My friends will read it and tell me their honest opinions and give me pointers and ideas. People I don't know will read it and judge it and judge me and I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. I'm still at that age where the opinions of the people around me really matter. I get upset over YouTube comments, for God's sake. Can you imagine what I'd do if I got an email from someone telling me they hated the book I slaved over for months/years? I don't know how published authors do it. Just look at JK Rowling. She was persecuted by Christians (even though she IS Christian) for writing about magic (God forbid *eye roll*). I don't know WHAT I would do if that happened to me (because, of course, the biggest controversy in my novel deals with Magicians)(not to mention the fact that there's sex and alcohol and underage drinking and seduction and rock n' roll).
There's a lot to think about over the next few months. I'm both excited for them and dreading them. You may not see me very much during it all, and I'll apologize in advance for that. I was almost a shut-in during November (though half of that was because I have a really terrible cold), and writing 50,000 words was probably the easiest thing in the world for me to do. Now I have to edit 70,000 words, take two English classes (which will both require papers every week about), and take another 9 credits on top of that. The next six months will be tough for sure, but I know I can make it through. :)
Not sure how much blogging I'll be doing after this, so I guess I'll close with a typical, "See you later!"
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