I now have the galleys of my novel TimeSplash and they have prompted me to say this to all aspiring novellists.
When you write a novel, make sure it is as rich, deep and subtle as you can possibly make it. Make all the characters complex and interesting, in fact, make them fascinating. Make sure that the book you write has enough wit, wisdom and intricacy that you could read it over and over again and still go on loving it and believing in it’s value. Because, even after you have edited it and polished it for months before delivering your final draft, if the book is accepted by a publisher, what with the copy editing, the line editing, the proof reading, and the marketing (hunting through the text for suitable extracts and so on,) you will find yourself reading it end-to-end another ten times before it is published. If you are not to find yourself hating it, or embarrassed by it, it better be one hell of a good book!
Lol, very good advice!
Hi Graham, you are so right! When you have read your book so many times, I think it is ok to be over it!
Looking forward to your launch!
Joanna
And this is a good thing….? Ah, well, roll on success.
terry
*waves pompoms* i realised a part of my (as yet unfinished) book was complete twaddle when during an edit i got bored reading it
Thanks Merrilee and Joanna.
Terry, it is a good thing. It is a good thing. It is a good thing…
Sheila, don’t tell anyone but there was a section in TimeSplash that the editor annotated with “Too boring to review now. I’ll look at it again tomorrow.” Once I’d climbed down off the ledge, I decided she was right. It got a re-write!
based on my revising experience – i hear ya! and the beauty is that the more interesting you make it for yourself, the more interesting it is for the reader too, so it’s all good. or at least that’s what i tell myself.
Oh, it’s definitely true, J-A. I just hadn’t realised it was a matter of life and death before!
I am laughing because I did NOT expect this for a writing tip; excellent advice, since I have very high expectations of the books that I buy (& a short attention span…and small children running around my house). I have been known to frequently put a book down and read no further after the first chapter – if I even get that far. So thank you – I will definitely keep your advice in mind as I forge ahead with my own writing. Looking forward to reading your book! (Thanks as always to Joanna Penn for sending out this link.)
Thanks Eleanor. (Yes, Joanna’s great isn’t she?) I was just looking at your site and I’m pretty sure you’re onto a winner with your book. Transformation AND horses! I can think of half-a-dozen women who would gobble it up. I hope they’ll be queueing out the door when ‘Becoming Sage’ is released.
Ah, yes, transformation, horses as avatars, love and loss and found, drugs and the healthcare system – how can it NOT be a best-seller?
Thanks for your support!