rethink...

[thoreau]

Love and imagination are magicians

Who create an image of the Beloved in your mind

With which you share your secret intimate moments.

This apparition is made of nothing at al,

But from its mouth comes the question,

"Am I not your Loved One?"

and from you the soft reply "Yes.Yes.Yes."

- Rumi Poetry

While it felt good to write out my argument with Rick - as chapter one of the new novel. I have reconsidered.

Firstly - because - i want the project to be completely clear of that emotional baggage starting off on a new project - - - and two - it is a bad karma choice for me to use anything that happened one on one private with him - even if it would feel temporarily good to do so. I'm bigger than that. So I've been brainstorming about how to start this new piece - and give my characters the total attention they deserve without projecting anything onto them. In the long run - I'll feel much better about the project. and it'll turn out better.

Comments

[that-dang-otter.livejournal.com]

I'm bigger than that.

I certainly hope so. I find it rather startling that you would ever have even considered publishing such a thing.

I happen to have just finished House of Wolves and was wondering if you were planning to write another novel.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

what did you think of House of Wolves?

[that-dang-otter.livejournal.com]

It's kind of hard to say, because I don't read a lot of fiction, and this is actually the only romance novel I've ever read.

It does need quite a lot of editing, but the good news is that the edits are very local, usually contained within single sentences, and don't reflect larger-scale structural problems with the work. I don't know what kind of editing process you used, but it is generally necessary to have someone other than yourself edit a long work, because, as my SO put it, "you already know what it says" and therefore don't have the same reading experience as other people. That said, there are long stretches where you find your stride and the prose is strong and sustained, so it's obvious that this isn't a fundamental problem.

From a more personal perspective, the thing I found a bit odd about it is that it describes a perfect world with perfect men who lead perfect lives, with essentially no conflict other than what is necessary to sustain the broadest elements of the plot. So it ends up being an extremely formal work, more of a portrait than a story. You see the same thing in Brokeback Mountain - there, you have a story that is extremely sparse and unornamented, which is necessary because the story has never been told to that audience before.

In exploring a new form for romance, perhaps this is necessary in your case, as well, because for many readers there is no pre-existing background against which conflict and complexity can be evaluated. Being as close to the themes of the book as I am myself, though, it's a somewhat peculiar experience.

It's a good start. It seems to me that you've got what it takes, so all you have to do is keep exercising your skills.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

the thing is? House of WOlves was edited ADNAUSEUM - it had two edits by friends septimuswarren and becker_boy both of which are English teachers and grammar nazis - and I paid to have a professional edit done. and it STILL has some editing issues.

But I really appreciate your comments Tony - as I know you are not one to hold back. It was purposely written as a portrait - a written out fantasy if you will.

I'm taking a novel writing workshop at SFSU this fall - and am starting novel #2. :) (The Book of Rough Metaphors) So - the encouragement to keep excercising is exactly where I'm headed.

Thank you!

[that-dang-otter.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, in that case the editing thing is definitely something to think about. Too many cooks, perhaps? I don't have any idea of how to edit something of that length, but I do know that with my own writing, sometimes the edits take longer than the first draft. I'm sure every novelist has to deal with this, so perhaps if you bring it up at the workshop you'll get some insight on how to improve the process.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

I had the first draft done in about 9 months and the editing process and the 2nd/3rd drafts took three years.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

i am so far away from publishing anything again. but - the writing excercise? did help. I'm writing and sketching on the next novel. so its all been sketching. The next novel will be a more solo story - about regaining self love after having the confidence to love yourself gets damaged. I appreciate your note.

Relieved

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

I am glad that you have rethought this. I believe in the end, you will be glad for this decision.

[pulsecub.livejournal.com]

Perhaps, Bob, the act of writing it out is, in and of itself, sufficient. That it may have been undertaken as an exercise toward Chapter One is unimportant in the long run. That you may have needed to do it, and subconsciously found the motivation, may have been enough. As such, choosing to relive it, and then not use it could just be another way of putting it all behind you metaphorically. :)

[althrman.livejournal.com]

Sanity has returned….lets not immortalize the period, so that it has to be re-read and read and edited….let that chapter be one page long and a book unto itself.