Yep. I did it.
Not the first novel-length thing I’ve done, but certainly the first that has ANY chance of being seen by other people. Lots of work remains before that point, however. I need a revision pass, then beta readers, and then another revision pass. Then I’ll consider submitting it to agents.
This may not be the novel to get my career started, but I’m going to give it a shot.
I owe thanks to my Viable Paradise instructors, who enkindled in me the confidence to work on this novel with purpose, and not just fart around with it every once in a while, as I did before VP.
I owe thanks to my fellow students of Viable Paradise 17, who have steadfastly encouraged me and commiserated with me over the last year or so. I realize I have a tendency toward the dramatic, but it is no exaggeration that without their encouragement, I may well have given up the very idea of being a writer over the past year, as I have so many times before.
Let this serve as encouragement to friends and other fellow writers who might be thinking of applying to VP: It’s well worth the money. All in all, the week at VP cost me about $2000, between airfare, my room cost, and tuition. And it was worth every single penny, and more beside, because not only did I get a chance to hobnob with people whose writing I’ve adored for years, but I got encouraging advice and critique from editors who are near, if not at, the top of their field, but I met 23 people who will be friends for years to come.
Viable Paradise 19 will be held 18-23 October, 2015. Applications are accepted until 15 June 2015. Go to www.viableparadise.net for details.
Hoo-freakin’-ray! Congrats!!
Weee! Woot! Congrats!!!! Confetti!!!
This deserves a cheer! Hip hip hooray!
(And I guess this means you need to update the word count in your sidebar 😉 )
In a couple of ways, actually. I’d always been sort of planning to hit 100K, but I also said that the story would end when the story needed to end, and I think that’s where it is now. I’m sure I’ll add some word count in the revision pass, especially when I place the vignettes I’ve decided to add in as interludes, and again a little more in the second pass after beta, but overall I’m now thinking the story will come in at around 80K.
And I’m OK with that, we can’t all be Patrick Rothfuss, And Scalzi’s debut was just over 90K, and I think, of those writing today, he’s one of the closest to what I’m trying to do.
And now that I said that, a tiny voice in my head is laughing at the very idea I could ever be as good as him. Stupid little voice. C’mere, you! ::sound of stomping and cries of a barely-audible “ow!”::
Congrats!