and comparing it with the original version, its quite different - and - I hope much better. Spent much of today editing it and have now sent it to Emma ready for our next tutorial. Had a block about starting the re write of three though because I need to change the POV and for some reason its making me up tight. Oh well...had a good tango lesson and am off out tonight to practice - on the roof I hope if its not raining.
Bren Gosling
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How many words do you think you'll have. I exchanged tweets with Emma Darwin and her latest novel (and the one before) was 141,000 words.
ReplyDeleteMine is probably on course for the same length.
Hi Mike...its difficult to say, anything from 80 to 95000 words but not more I think at this point. I have 80 but some will be ditched or rewritten(other bits not much). Interestingly its the early section that is needing the most rewriting. Emma says the later stuff - the line by line writing even of my first drafts is quite polished.Ive been working hard at it though and try to really think about the words that end up on my page. Thats why I dont always have a big word count at the end of a three hour session. Sometimes as little as 250 or 300 words - on difficult days/scenes I may even only achieve the opening paragraph! Usually it averages about between 500 and 1000 words give or take. I rarely do more. I like to keep my tongue wet with aniticipation for the next session.Dictating my handwritten new material then editing it before Emma sees it is a useful self workshop which I think has honed my skills, such as these are.There is much to do still to bring everything together and I'm under no illusions about what I have to do. But I am getting there now and can really feel it comming and its very exciting(as well as still being very daunting sometimes.)
ReplyDeleteBren Gosling
I guess it's logical that the start needs most rewriting. After all, you didn't know exactly how the novel was going to end at that point -- and you'll know your characters better as you go on.
ReplyDeleteI've just had my third session of feedback from my MA coursemates and I've been going through the first three chapters of mine after not paying them much attention for six months or more. I got very good feedback for the last session -- but I wonder whether people will automatically start to like the writing more as they become more familiar with the characters. I think you're always in slightly unfamiliar territory when you start reading a novel.
Interestingly the more literary the novel appears to be, the shorter it seems expected to be. Most genre novels seem to be 400 pages at least in paperback -- which is probably at least 120,000 words. I guess most of us from the City course aren't writing specifically genre type fiction so word count can be quite flexible.
Doing 300 words a day isn't bad if you do it consistently -- that's 90,000 in about 10 months.
btw. I follow this writer on Twitter -- and she follows me I think. You might be interested in her article as it deals with attitudes that might be relevant to your novel:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh/2011/mar/10/edinburgh-sara-sheridan-secret-sands-gay-rights?CMP=twt_gu
thanks Mike - wil check it out
ReplyDeleteBren Gosling