I have reached, and gone past the half way mark in my novel. That felt like a huge achievement, as I have been writing this novel on and off for two and a half years!
I have decided I am not a fast writer. I never have been able to do the fast and furious 'shitty first draft'. Instead I think a lot about each section and edit lightly as I am writing. I am hoping that this means that subsequent edits will be quicker and easier, but we will see.
I have also been thinking a lot about where my novel might fall in the market. I don't write chick lit, I simply can't do the comedy. It's certainly not literary fiction either, though I suppose it may end up falling into the Richard and Judy book club 'lit-lite' category of commercial fiction. I would be quite pleased if it does.
But after giving all this a lot of thought I decided just to think about some of the authors I particularly like for various reasons and who influence me: Anita Shreve, Maggie O'Farrell, Kate Atkinson, Sue Miller, Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood, Jodi Picoult. I guess that gives you an idea of where my book is (hopefully) going...
13 comments:
Well done! and they are all great authors... well the ones of them i know all are :)
That's an amazing achievement. Onwards and upwards!
Cathy,I write really slowly too. I can't bear leaving a mess behind me and I'm also hoping that it will mean the edits are less painful. And your list of authors is something like the list I'd come up with too!
Anyway, my mentor keeps saying while I'm writing not to worry about any of this... so I'm trying very hard not to worry.
This is terrific, Cathy. Well done. If my experience counts for anything, I'm finding that each novel I write "writes itself" quite differently. The one I'm finishing now went much faster, with bigger chinks being written before editing. But I still write by hand, and still polish a bit as I go along. I guess, whatever works, right?
Thanks B and Helen.
JJ, you have always inspired me when I start to lag, as I know I'm not the only NR tortoise...
Cx
Sue, you just nipped in there before me.
Yes I agree we should go with what works for us. On one of my OU courses, where we were supposed to be doing a freewriting exercise, I got marked down for being too 'polished' :)
Cx
Sounds fabulous - I'd read it.
Axxx
What an achievement-halfway through a novel! I love the authors you mention - if you're influenced by the likes of Anita Shreve you can't go wrong!!
Thanks Anne. Ooh I have a potential reader, just need a completed novel and a publisher!
Welcome L'Aussie. Yes, they are great writers. I can only aspire to being that good :)
Cx
You sound very much like a writer like me - does that make sense?!
I edit occasionally when I go back to the novel and have been writing on and off for 2-3 years! Planning to get it finished end of this year for definite.
CJ xx
That's a great achievement. Well done.
Thank you, Cap'n!
CJ, I've set myself a deadline of the end of the year too. I think (hope) I can do it.
Cx
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