It’s been over a month since I looked at my novel. I stepped away to write some short stories–one of which has already been accepted and will be published soon–and then a whole lot of other things happened in my September.
But I’m back at it and I’m hoping to be finished with this first novel soon. Then I intend to finish these two sword and sorcery collections I accidentally put a lot of work into in the last month. Likely about 50k words of sword and sorcery in two very different settings to be released exclusively at AWP next year in Baltimore. I won’t be able to release them commercially until some of these contracts run their course.
Anyway, time away is often very good for a novel. It allows me to see things with new eyes, with clear thoughts, and so going through this novel now is fun in a different way.
It does solidify my belief that this will just not come out with a major press, that I will never be that kind of writer. My storytelling is just different in many ways that push me towards my own way, my own path, but this is only a problem if you want it to be, if you allow it to be.
I know the more commercial path for this novel, and that involves shortening this 150k word novel to probably 80k words and focusing more on adventure, on progression. But I am who I am and I must remain that person.
But I am finding ways to compromise. Or rather, to thread my vision with something more approachable.
A simple change I’m making has to do with the names of characters.
While I like the names I’ve come up with, I’m going to switch most of them to names that are more recognizable and approachable to English speaking readers. This may seem obvious, but it never is to me, at least when looking at my own work.
But, yes, work commences once more!
I’ll have more to say about this as I make my way back through the manuscript.
The time away and the time spent writing songs and poems for this world really was beneficial. For one thing, reading a bunch of Charles Dickens gave me useful lessons to keep in mind.
More on that next time.
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