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Discussion: Discuss Stn. George & The Dragon
I'll never understand writers. :) Imagine looking forward to going over your work picking out the little things that aren't quite right. Anyway, you did a great job, I love the idea and I can't wait until you're ready to share the rest of it.
Well he submitted it here, so he must be ready! But I understand entirely where he's coming from. I still want to go back and fix things from my first novel I did during NaNo 2005. Someday, or so I dream, I may have the time to go do it.
In the meantime, go dig up as many friends as you think might also enjoy it and get them to rate Stn. George too. That way it'll get published faster!
Sign up for National Novel Writing Month at www.nanowrimo.org starting October 1!
Cloister's active submissions:
The Fallen
Already on it. I spread the word of the site and tell them that the price of the information is to give it a review, even if they don't like it. Of course, everyone has liked it so far. As to the editing though...do you ever worry about reworking it too much? As far as story goes I mean, like if you wanted that spontaneous feel that Wayzgoose is going for here how do you find the balence between getting the story to flow without losing that original spark?
Heh. That's probably better a question for Wayzgoose. :) I've never tried to write anything that sounded spontaneous (well, except dialogue).
But no, I haven't worried about over-working my stuff. When it's right, you know it. When you make a change that isn't for the better, you know it and "undo" is just a keystroke away.
Sign up for National Novel Writing Month at www.nanowrimo.org starting October 1!
Cloister's active submissions:
The Fallen
Well, that's true...I have a tendency to always belive there's a better way to say something so sometimes I can't tell though. Even when I think something sounds good when I first put it down I can't re-read it without thinking that I could have said it better. I blame school, since I can't be held respondible for my flaws.:)
Great question, Elspeth. When I did my first attempt at a novel, I re-wrote it 14 times! Completely! I still have all 14 versions. Then I got an agent who suggested a re-write. Heh. (Unfortunately she died before the book got published and it went back into my dresser drawer.)
There is a point you can get to that is "over-worked" but I don't think it is common. Most authors give up long before it gets to that point. Most, IMHO, wait for an editor to suggest something before they go about changing things. It was, in fact, your comments about the rough spots in Stn. George that have led me to believe I should do another careful read-through. I'm suspicious of the transitions in spots, but mostly pretty pleased with all the folktales.
I liked this concept so much (mostly after reading all the forum here) that I've decided to write a sequel this November. I've been soliciting friends for names for the Once Upon A Times that I can work with. Got any ideas?
Wayzgoose
How about:
"you MUST count your chickens before they hatch"?
Sign up for National Novel Writing Month at www.nanowrimo.org starting October 1!
Cloister's active submissions:
The Fallen
I'll think about it. I'm really glad you're doing a sequel, it saves me a lot of time looking for new authors when a good one writes several books.
I agree with Elspeth, i really want to read the full book, just to see the rast of the hat.
Chaos_reigns's active submissions:
(K)Night School (revised)
Yeah, I think the hat is my favorite character. I can't wait to see what else happens to it.
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You guys are great! I'm sorry I haven't been responding while the conversation was going on, but I was out of the country. I did write the book from fairly brief notes during NaNoWriMo last year and then got two or three people to read and edit carefully, then did a full re-write myself. I have to say that it probably needs another go based on your comments, and I'm ready to undertake that after October. I hope you all signed up to be my "committee" for the final review.
The idea developed during the month and the ending was not the way I described it to Cloister at the beginning of the month, so he was a bit surprised as well. My daughter (now 15 and an avid NaNoWriMo writer) used to ask me to tell her a story every night before bed. Each night she would suggest a character and a topic and I would have to make up a story immediately that would satisfy her. (This went on, by the way until she was about 11!) I always regretted not writing down each of the stories that I told because they had such a feeling of spontaneity. When I set out to write a book where "Once Upon a Times" were the trade of the characters, I wanted to capture the folksy story-telling that I experienced then. So, I set out the stories that would be included in the book, but not the details of what was in the stories. Then I would sit down and tell the story as though I was telling my daughter at bedtime.
Well, based on your comments, I'm looking forward to scrubbing the story again and seeing what you think of the whole thing! Thnx, Wayzgoose
Wayzgoose