So if you’ve seen me around the internet at all this week you probably know that I received the edits for NAMELESS…and they weren’t as happy as I was hoping. They weren’t as cringe-worthy as they could have been either, so that’s good. A lot of the things that I knew weren’t right but couldn’t put my finger on were addressed, and now I know how to fix them. Of course it also pointed out quite a few plot holes which need to be looked into.
Now I’m kind of back to the drawing board. I’ve emailed some critters for advice and to bounce ideas, and made a Skype date with my best friend, who was the first person I let read the original Fie Eoin. She loves these characters and their story as much as I do, and knows it from the very beginning, and I’m confident that I’ll be able to work it out with her help.
In fact, I already have an idea brewing that might just work, assuming I can figure out all the details. It would still be essentially the same story. It would require a complete re-write, but at this point I should be able to re-write FE in my sleep. (Speaking of which, Tuesday night I had a dream that I was Kindra, only she was a vampire zombie from Diablo Three. Maybe it’s a sign, and THAT should be the new FE storyline ;P)
I’m also going to finish reading Story Engineering before I tackle any more writing projects.
I think this weekend will be a beach and book weekend for me. I hope all you lovely Aledans have a wonderful weekend as well! And Happy Summer!
June 21, 2012 at 1:26 pm
No vampires! No zombies!
I think “it could have been worse” is the best way to look at a truly constructive critique. Believe me, I know it’s kind of brutal to hear that an entire storyline isn’t working, or that a character needs to be cut, or that the pacing needs to be restructured, etc.. And it’s just plain embarrassing when someone points out plot holes or other errors. So many writers never get used to that kind of thing. They never develop a thick enough skin to take advantage of the critique instead of taking it personally. Sounds like you’ve been able to roll with it and utilize it as you plan your revision, and that’s brilliant. Best of luck!
June 21, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Thank you, Jill
It definitely wasn’t easy to hear, but I’m so glad I heard it before I started really querying! I could have completely ruined FE’s chances of being published!
And I’m kind of liking these new ideas…
June 21, 2012 at 2:02 pm
I’m just going to go ahead and second Jill’s comment. It seems like you’re approaching this with a great attitude and that will made the rewrite so much easier. It’s taken me a loooong time to get to the same place with the big changes I need to make to Brea and The Hunt, and I’m just now starting the official rewrite.
We keep saying it, but we definitely need to get together for drinks or a meal.
June 21, 2012 at 2:11 pm
We can get together for coffee and re-writing! It’ll be just like the old days of NaNoFiYe, but in a much shorter time frame
June 21, 2012 at 3:00 pm
I hear ya! Glad you got constructive crits back. My first novel, I’m not even sure about anymore, I’ve rewritten it, edit, spliced, etc…I did all the newbie mistakes and then some. I’ve put it aside for now and I’m tackling another project. I might come back to it… Good luck with your rewrites! It is great to have people you can bounce ideas off.
June 23, 2012 at 9:29 am
Yeah, this was definitely my first novel *blushes* I know people say its almost impossible to get your very first novel published, but I’m still going to try! Thanks for the support
June 21, 2012 at 3:15 pm
I keep meaning to read some of the craft books on writing, but every time I crack open some writing tips, I find that I already know them. I have a hard time getting any fresh tips that are helpful. I cannot possibly already have things figured out, so I need to look around some more. Meanwhile, I dread the edits and re-writes… but if we keep the focus on wanting the book to be everything it can be, rather than our ego, then they are much more welcome.
June 23, 2012 at 9:32 am
I know what you mean. I originally stopped reading Story Engineering because it didn’t have anything new to add. Now that I’ve reached the part about “structure” it’s been really helpful, since that’s what I really have problems with.
It was definitely a blow to my ego, but you are right. We need to keep the focus on the book, not ourselves
June 21, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Best of luck! That drawing board can be lots of fun, once we get into our revising groove. Hope your ideas run wild.
June 23, 2012 at 9:34 am
Thank you August! I do love storylining, I just wasn’t prepared to have to do it all over again at this stage
But I am starting to get excited about it 
June 22, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Ah, Betas and editors. You gotta love ‘em, don’t you? Well, it all serves a purpose ~ to make us better writers. Good luck with it and keep on chugging along because we all want to read your book!
June 23, 2012 at 9:34 am
I do love them <3 It would have been horrible to send the book out without realizing how many problems it had! Thank you
December 27, 2012 at 8:10 am
[...] re-writing NAMELESS in January, storylined the next two books, and then found out in June that I had to re-write NAMELESS again. I didn’t finish that re-write until the beginning of December. I was really trying to be [...]