Diary of a madman [writing a novel]

[Khendon Sevon]

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started.

I’m still not sure what waters I’m treading in with trepidation.

It all started one day in July. I had just finished reading the Great Book of Amber (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Book-Amber-Complete-Chronicles/dp/0380809060/sr=8-1/qid=1161660701/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3246370-9919239?ie=UTF8&s=books) and really, really wanted more. Of course, Zelazny can’t write anymore—unless they have word processors in heaven.

So, I sat on a hammock and looked at the sky and let my mind float around. I had been wanting to write a novel for a long, long time. I didn’t think my skills were up to par. I didn’t understand what was required.

Still, something inside me wanted to create an epic story that would be driven and able to capture the reader’s attention and hold it. I wanted to write a novel that I would read with influences from my favorite genres, works, and authors.

I spent three weeks sitting there just thinking up ideas and trying to mold a story in my head. In late July I flew to Greece with my father. I would wake up, stretch, work out, then brainstorm while my father made breakfast. We would swim and I’d be thinking the entire time. At night, before we went out for dinner, I would just sit and jot down ideas and an outline.

While in Greece I finished a strong outline and I wrote twenty pages and finished all of the research required. It was a start.

I was soon working at my parents’ diner. My friends were all busy. What was a college student to do!? Write. I wrote a decent amount. Towards the end of the summer I had around 75+ pages finished.

Fast forward to now. I’m 216 pages deep, have had a blur of events occur in the novel, have well developed characters, and am adding page after page of work that I consider my best ever.

I’ve started to look at publishers and am shocked. Most of them don’t want you to submit works to them while they’re outstanding at other publishing houses. That’s silly! I’m not going to send a manuscript out every 6 months only to have it rejected!

So, the other option: an agent. It seems logical. I have a source for getting a good one.

That’s enough babbling for one night.

[Peter McCoy]

Well done for making a start on such a grand project.

One word of advice - make sure the first draft you ever send to a publisher is a publishable copy! That means getting people to read it - both readers and other writers! No good sending your novel to a publisher when you're the only other person who's ever clapped eyes on it.

I'm on an Imaginative Writing course at university and I can honestly say that hearing other writers' opinions and criticisms is the best way to improve your writing, as well as reading as much as you can. Even if you can't get other writers to read it, get your family and friends to have a look over it. My dad reads a lot and I always give him a copy of my short stories before I hand them in to be assessed - safe to say his comments are very helpful and usually mean the difference between 2 grades.

How are you writing? On paper or wordprocessing? If you're writing by hand, type it up Then, print it. THEN read it. Your eyes don't always pick up on mistakes when they're on a screen - its a lot clearer when you have the page in your hand.

Best of luck with the rest of your project. 216 pages is really impressive! How long do you expect the finished novel to be? I've had the first two chapters of a novel sitting on my hard drive for 2 years now and haven't done anything more. Seeing this thread has given me a push to carry on with it. Thanks :)

[Khendon Sevon]

Well done for making a start on such a grand project.

One word of advice - make sure the first draft you ever send to a publisher is a publishable copy! That means getting people to read it - both readers and other writers! No good sending your novel to a publisher when you're the only other person who's ever clapped eyes on it.

I already have a few trusted friends (and enemies) lined up to go through the first draft. In my mind--and heart, I guess--I can already feel some changes that need to be made in the earlier chapters to adapt to how the characters later evolved.

I don't plan on sending the work to a publisher until I'm very, very happy with it. I am one of those silly perfectionists that goes crazy running down problems (goes along with being a programmer).



I'm on an Imaginative Writing course at university and I can honestly say that hearing other writers' opinions and criticisms is the best way to improve your writing.

I agree :) That's why I've spent so many years writing in communities.



How are you writing? On paper or wordprocessing? If you're writing by hand, type it up Then, print it. THEN read it. Your eyes don't always pick up on mistakes when they're on a screen - its a lot clearer when you have the page in your hand.

People still write by hand?! It's typed and in a relatively standard format :) I plan on printing out several copies (one for myself and one for every individual that will be reading/providing critiques).



Best of luck with the rest of your project. 216 pages is really impressive! How long do you expect the finished novel to be? I've had the first two chapters of a novel sitting on my hard drive for 2 years now and haven't done anything more. Seeing this thread has given me a push to carry on with it. Thanks :)

The finished novel (typed in Word) will be between 320-380 pages. I can't really narrow it down more. The first draft will grow as I go back and re-write/edit/etc chapters.

I'm sure it will be cut down by an editor or someone. First novels tend to be relatively risky ventures and the more pages that are packed into the book the greater the cost to the publisher.

The biggest difficulty in writing this novel has been to keep writing :) Ideas flow very, very freely. There's no problem coming up with plots, characters, etc. The issue is putting them to paper (or digital bits floating around in memory then written to a hard drive, as it were).

I make sure that I at least write a few pages a week, no matter the situation. I've been trying to keep it steady. Inspiration goes away. I have written plenty of threads without inspiration and that has provided me the "mechanism" to write without an invoked muse.

I've known a few other individuals that have tried to write novels before. My roommate has started and stopped several novels. He "completely" wrote one once only to decide the plot had too many holes and a complete rewrite was in order.

He sometimes sits down and writes 15-20 pages. Then he stops and doesn't write for a long time. By the time he comes back to said pages, he's already lost interest in the piece. I think it's more important to see your goals come to fruition than to try and create a perfect piece on the first pass. That being said, it is important to aim for continuity and development. They should be inherent in whatever drafting system you are using (I created a loose outline then began adding flesh and bone to chapters as thoughts and ideas developed, themes, etc came to me before-hand and while writing so they have evolved with time).

It all comes down to a mixture of experience and brute force. The experience allows you to write in a relatively even fashion that is entertaining no matter your current disposition. The brute force ensures that you continue writing and eventually reach your goal.

Inspiration doesn't hurt! But, you can't rely on it being your only lantern through the dark pass. It's important to know what batteries/fuel works best for you and to make sure you have mechanisms to help guide you if the brightest of your candles is blown out (darn, sounded much cooler in my head).

Now, I really, really need to research characteristics of wasteland dwelling creatues for the current monster being encountered by my poor, angry hero.

:)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Wasteland creatures tend to like to eat humans because they're nice and crunchy, while still being a bit soft in the middle. :yum

[Khendon Sevon]

That would be the primary motivation of the animal, very true.

I'll ensure that the actor playing the part of the beast knows it ;)

[Khendon Sevon]

Yay for finishing another chapter.

I've been slowly turning around the events of the past chapter in my mind for the past week or so. I knew what had to be done; just, didn't exactly have a roadmap for how to get there. The pieces slowly fell into place.

I'm happy with the results. The story is boosted, there's more character development, and foreshadowing is happy and dandy.

Puts me at 221 pages and counting. I'll probably write more tomorrow--I do have homework sadly :(

My inspirational music of the moment (two albums):
Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death
Falconer - Northwind

Only when it rains do I not listen to music while writing. I find some sort of background noise helps me really organize my thoughts. That and it makes people not talk to me. If I drum up a conversation it's going to detract from my concentration and whatnot.

Right.

Stay tuned for more fun ;)

[Khendon Sevon]

What's left?
What's left!
What's left?!

Well, just started chapter 18:

Spartan, stark, stalwart in its staunch resistance to amenities and desirous comforts of the heart, soul, and health—that is how I would describe my prison. The walls were damp and covered in a lichen-like fur that stuck to my fingers with all the consistency of thin, well-worked dough. This wasn’t the friendly type of moss or fungus that illuminated dark places in fantasy settings. No, it was of the variant that made my mouth taste like Quinine—the bitter medicine I had to take to prevent malaria when I visited some small Asian island with my father.

So, the rough chapter outline says I have 18-23 and then an epilogue to write.That's roughly 60+ pages plus another 3-5 for the epilogue.

I have 5 more weeks of classes. I would love to get this first draft finished before winter break :) That would mean I could start getting people to read it and could do my initial battery of edits.

Yay.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Fantastic! Keep up the good work! :D

[Khendon Sevon]

Five more chapters.

Five more.

That's ~60 pages (rough estimate based on my current average).

The rhythm of the book is kind of interesting. It starts off with a high pulse then moves to a slow beat that steadily quickens then accelerates and pulls back, accelerates and pulls back until finally there's a din that reaches an explosive proportion. It then drops back down as mysteries are explored, kicks up, bites, dives down, jives up again, then begins to grow in thickness, drops one last time, then heads high for the heavens in a climactic build (to be written) that erupts in a grand ending.

I’m hoping it’ll read that way. That’s how it seems in my mind.

My music harmony teacher would say it has a good “shape.” I tried to not bombard the reader with too much action or bore her with excessive amounts of non-action. I’m hoping I got the blend right.

It’ll be exciting to print out the first copy and read through it. It’ll be the true test of my transitions and plot conveyance and progression.

I’m looking forward to having the story come together and the ideas finally meet and unite in the epic ending.

The most amazing part about this whole experience has been “seeing” the piece come to life. Having 20 pages felt fulfilling, 50 even more so, 100 was awe inspiring, 200 blew me away. Every victory inch has made me feel more elated about the whole novel.

I’m not too sure I thought I would ever reach 50, 100, or 200 pages when I started or was working on the earlier segments. I planned as if I would go through with everything and, lo and behold, I’ve almost finished.

Let me say that again:

I’ve almost finished!

:)

Yay.

Err, now the first draft just needs to be finished, edited, edited some more, then I have to find someone to publish the darn thing.

[Khendon Sevon]

Chapter 20 - Blanch.
243 pages so far.

This is a very gritty novel. Dark and disturbing in subtle ways. It has a healthy helping of classic fantasy elements entwined with political commentaries and questions, economic issues, and other tidbits to ground it and provide substance.

I think a quirky part of my humor has managed to seep into the pages. It's a mix of dark and light hearted that, hopefully, will be enjoyable.

Anyway, it's only 9:49 and I feel like I can write the night away.

[Khendon Sevon]

Gooood morning.

I just had a dream about my characters...

Is that weird? I kinda' think it is. That's what happens when you think about your story all throughout the day and night and write like a madman. The idea behind Chapter 20 is just exciting to write. Honestly, I thought about skipping classes today just to type more.

Eh, I'll be going to classes, no worries ;) Probably won't get to write 'till 5 PMish.

Mmm... Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime is very inspirational for this segment of the novel. It's a great experimental album with perfect tones for revolution ;) I've said too much.

[Khendon Sevon]

I've been making super progress. Yay super progress.

Let's look at the numbers:
254 pages
130,924 words
575,807 characters (no spaces)
705,254 characters (with spaces)
4,744 paragraphs
11,076 lines
20 completely finished chapters
1 prologue

Yay!

That means I have 3 chapters and an epilogue to go!

It's interesting how themes and ideas evolve throughout the writing process. One started out simply as "the government doesn't work because of corruption" and has grown to "governments are inherently corrupt and all we can do is try to minimize the amount of corruption that is possible." I was also going to keep it as "all wars are bad" but have evolved that into more of a "wars are gray" theme.

Chapter 20 was fairly epic and starts off the chain reaction that leads to the final chapter (23).

It looks like I will reach my goal of finishing the novel before winterbreak. Yay. That means I can do major editing during that time.

Time to sleep.

[Khendon Sevon]

Okay, 264 pages now.

I just... felt like writing.

Chapter 20 is done, 21 is done, and I'm working on 22.

:) I love this whole everything-is-already-planned-out thing. It really helps keep the forward motion. My roommate is writing his by the seat-of-his-pants (I like using these things ----------yay) and, well... I have a feeling he'll stop writing sooner-or-later.

It looks like I may finish my novel by the end of next week. Chapter 22 will probably be done by Friday and 23 will maybe take another week (probably not). The epilogue will be easy enough.

Then what?

I think I'll start reading it... Hah. Or maybe I'll take a break and let my head stop spinning and worry a bit about finals? Nah.

I love trying to find a title for a chapter and entering a search string in Wiki and realizing that the search string is the perfect title.

I also love dropping references to pop culture/media/etc. S'always fun.

Tired.

Sleep?

Yes, please.

Ugh. Long day tomorrow.

[Khendon Sevon]

Researching fortifications is very, very interesting. The range of technologies used to defend hearth and home are almost surprising. Each culture approached the issue with different means and methods.

The siege gear is fun, too ;)

I started with two blank pieces of paper and now have rough sketches of city defenses as well as a general idea of the weapons the assaulting force will bring to bear.

266 pages.

So much writing to do.

[Khendon Sevon]

My brain is fried.

I just reached 275 pages. Chapter 22 is almost done.

Chapter 23 will be the final chapter. After that there's the epilogue.

Then I'm done with the first draft.

So close. So very close.

I may very well finish chapter 22 & 23 this weekend. It's possible.

Everything will be finished by the end of turkey break. I know that.

That'll mean I can print out a copy for myself and actually read it before anyone else. It'll give me a bit of time to do some simple editing and revising before I start giving out copies for peer editing/opinions/etc.

My brain needs a restart. Writing can be really, really draining, sometimes.

Anyway, g'night!

[Khendon Sevon]

Chater 22 is a 19 page monster. It's the largest chapter of the novel. Of course, it does bring a lot together and contain the majority of a certain siege that I'm not going to go into the details of. There's plenty of fighting and brawling. It doesn't really have any relaxing moments, though. It's up, up, and up. It even ends on a sharp note that leads into 23.

So, 282 pages. Chapter 23 is probably going to be around 8 pages long then there'll be a 4 or so page epilogue.

I had estimated only a few months ago that the entire novel would be 280 pages. It's interesting how that all changes.

[Khendon Sevon]

It's done.

It's done?

It's done!

290 pages! 290 beautiful pages!

The first draft of my novel is done! That means I get to now painstakingly go through it and read the horror that it probably is. There'll be typos, parts that don't make sense, issues with flow, lack of color, and all of those other wonderful problems, I'm sure.

It's done before Thanksgiving! Wow!

I'm so happy! I've finally finished the first part of the journey!

:) Yay.

Ninja edit: And this is my 1,400th post since reset ;)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Congrats!!! :D

And, you weren't reset to zero posts at the reset. More properly, that was your 1,400th post since six months before the reset. ;) (all posts 6 months old or older were archived to Classic Fans at the time of the reset.)

Again, congrats on finishing your first draft. :D

[Peter McCoy]

You, sir...quite simply...rock.

Well done.

[Khendon Sevon]

:) Thanks

And thanks for the clarification, Lil ;p Miss 5,863.

[Khendon Sevon]

Reading through your own novel is interesting. It's weird. I actually expected to make more marks on my first run through than I have. I'm on page 200 right now and haven't decided to make any drastic changes, yet.

So far it's been about fixing typos and slight errors. Nothing much.

90 more pages and I'll be done with edits to the first draft. Then I get to actually make those edits to the doc.

I have about 25 days or so 'till I need to print up the second draft for editing by "peers."

I don't know how many people I should ask to read the novel. I have two people I know that'll be great in giving worthwhile comments. There are another two that will probably give okay comments and a final one that I haven't a clue about.

C'est la vie.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'll gladly rip it apart for you, should you need someone else. ;)

[Khendon Sevon]

You don't read novels with sex in 'em, remember ;)

If you've moved past that, sure.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I meant in general, the books I do read don't have it in them. I didn't say I never have or would. :mneh

[Dasquian Belargic]

I would be quite curious to read this, if it weren't for the fact that I have so many other things I should be reading for school. Maybe when things quiet-down nearer the holidays :)

[Khendon Sevon]

:) Lemme know. I'll probably pdf the doc when I'm done editing it. Then I'll be able to pm you a link to download it.

[Khendon Sevon]

I just finished making marks on chapter twenty-one. There are roughly 27 pages left to edit.

I'm starting to get worried. Now that the writing is done and I'm feeling the novel, I really don't want it to get rejected! I don't want it to be a failure. It's not just about spending the time. No, I just really want this story to get out there and circulate.

I would love to be a writer. Wouldn't that be grand.

I'm concerned the assistant editor that looks at my novel won't like some slim detail and will reject the piece because of it :( That would be horrible.

Right now my list of publishers is small, small, small. I need to do more research.

DAW Books is my number one try (http://www.dawbooks.com/). I'll be submitting my manuscript to them first. Of course, they don't want you to submit a manuscript to them and any other publisher at the same time. They want to hog your creativity to themselves until they've decided whether you'll sink or swim. It's the same with most publishers.

TOR is another option.

Other than that... *sniffle* I dunno.

Like I said above, I could try to find an agent. I dunno.

I need to talk to my cousin, the lawyer, and see what he thinks (if DAW falls through, that is).

Anyway, here's the schedule

Dec 18th: second draft finished and copies printed out for peer review

Dec 21st: begin brainstorming/fermentation for second novel (unrelated to first)

January 10th: third draft finished and sprinkled with holy water, blessed by blind monks, and consecrated with the blood of seven virgins. Final read through.

January 15thish: packaged and perfectly presented the manuscript will be sent out to DAW books and my fingers will remain crossed

January 16th: begin the long road of working on my second novel

[Khendon Sevon]

Third post of the day, yay. I'm just too excited.

I'm nearly done with the first read-through. I've made a ton of edits in terms of continuity, grammar, capitalization, and typos. I've cleaned up some of the sentence structure, etc, too.

I've noticed a few bubblegum issues (the inability to chew bubblegum and walk, too) where dialogue becomes a bit too alone. I've fixed that in the later pages. I'll have to go back over the first 200 and ensure there aren't more issues like that.

Sleepy now. I'll finish editing tomorrow so I can go about doing that icky school work stuff.

[Khendon Sevon]

Chapter 23 isn't good.

I can tell I was just trying to finish the piece. I've gone through 1 1/2 pages so far and have bracketed almost every paragraph and inserted comments, added more vivid wording, and written "NOT EPIC ENOUGH" (exactly like that, caps and all) and "You can do better."

It's a short chapter and very, very important. It resolves the primary conflicts and kills off the last bit of external evil.

I know. Usually an author has a chapter or so after the epic battle where they go over what's happening, the clean up, the day after, all that junk. My epilogue is a small, compact version of that; however, it also leaves the reader going "What's next! There's so much more that can happen! Is _____ dead? What about ______?!"

So, right. I think Chapter 23 needs the most love. It's really the only chapter that I think needs major revision (not to the events, just how they're painted).

Right.

Back to editing.

[Khendon Sevon]

I really don't think I was born to edit.

No, I don't have the ability to sit and reread something over and over looking for minute details that need to be changed. That and I really am working with tired eyes and a frazzled mind.

I've been trying to work on my final project for a class and have made no headway. I should study; but, can't bring myself to do so.

I edited the first draft by hand and am now typing up the changes. It's interesting. I really feel like I'll have to go through at least one more time to be happy with what's been put to paper.

Never the less, I want to get this off to peer editing as soon as possible. It'll get me alternate perspectives and such as well as plenty of fresh eyes.

Right. Back to... something.

[Khendon Sevon]

I've made corrections/modifications up to page 100 so far. They've mostly included fixing typos, modifying odd sentences, and adding meat to thin dialogue.

It's actually a quick process. The main issue right now is finding time to work on the second draft.

I hate finals. We won't discuss that here, though.

So, once this second draft is done I'm going to print out 4 copies of the novel. First I'm going to double-space everything. That'll bring the piece to 580 pages.

580 pages x 4 copies = 2320 pages
2320 pages at around 0.03 dollars per page is something like $70 total.

That's not bad. I'm willing to pay that to get opinions.

The prints go to (these are all good, close friends):

Daniel: An avid science fiction/fantasy fan that reads pretty much everything he finds. He's the type of guy that'll go to the $1 book bin and pick up a bunch of books to read. Dan has introduced me to many a great novel/author. He's a freelance technical writer.

Nick: One of my best friends from high school. He's a great technical editor. His father is a consultant for some large pharm. companies and Nick looks over everything that gets sent out. He's also a great fan of fantasy and sci-fi and has introduced me to several authors (including Tad Williams and Richard Morgan, two of my favorites).

Tom: Tom has his own indie label. He's worked hard to get where he now is. Before he went into music, Tom was a TV script writer/producer. He has experience editing and has expressed that he likes my writing. Tom is creative, inciteful, and enjoyable.

Bobby: My cousin. He's a lawyer. Bobby has always had big dreams. What's even better is that he makes his big dreams come true. He's inventive and opened me up to a lot of helpful authors (Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, etc). Bobby has already stated that he knows agents and would be happy to help me out (he owes me a bit for all the logo designs I've done for his companies and projects). We're more like brothers than cousins (even if he's 9 years older).

So, those are the people getting hard copies.

I'll probably give out PDF files to a few other trusted souls.

Mmm...

Yar!

[Khendon Sevon]

I spent pretty much all day editing/revising so that I could finish today.

The last chapter must've taken 2 hours to revise. I did a ton of rewriting and so forth.

Then I threw everything together on Lulu.com and ordered 5 copies of the second draft.

I'm now tired. I'm also very, very nervous.

What if everyone thinks it's horrible?

Oh well.

Life goes on.

584 pages double spaced. That's a whole lot of pages. Cost a pretty nickle too.

I can finally think about the next story for a while. Ah...

[Khendon Sevon]

The printed junk is gonna' arrive tomoooorrooow!

Two people will be getting them immediately and then the other three will be picking them up later in the week.

Nervous, nervous, nervous :) This is the true test. Will they enjoy it? Will they laugh? Will they hold a piece of the glory that was in my mind and heart in their own?

Or, will they shake their heads, sigh, and take a huge red pen to the piece?

:) Either way, I'm super happy that I've gotten this far.

[Khendon Sevon]

:(

It's so hard to find people to read your novel.

Post here if you want a digital copy to read.

*sniffle*