Ah, I'm done with revising a 100,000 novel that someone sent me. I had a lot of changes to make for it, and let's just say it reminded me of a lot of fan fiction that I read. And I wonder, whenever I get done looking at someone's work, what do people see when they look at my work. Do they see something juvenile? Professional? Do they imagine they're reading this in a paperback form, or as someone living out their video game dreams and television wishes.
My goal here is to write like the real writers write - without overwriting, or scenes that don't go anywhere or meander - where the reader is hooked and compelled to continue for some reason. I always wonder where Black Hole Son fits into that category. Do they see it as too wordy (it is 140,000 words), or did I keep the action going enough so that you don't notice? Would an editor throw up at 140,000 words (not that I plan to keep it at such a length - my goal here is to get it under 120,000 - standard "long" novel length).
By the way, I'm now thinking of changing the title to "NK", but I still haven't decided. Fortunately, titles are one of those things that can be discussed with the editor, and I'm flexible on it. I wanted a title that's marketable, that'll make people raise eyebrows. I got the idea from "Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill - a book with the same title as an awesome song is intriguing. And Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden sounds a lot like the mood I was striving for, as well as some of the content.
I also have yet to choose an opening quote (I love quotes, I try to put them in as many places as possible), and the biggest thing is thinking of the right names for Character A and Character B. I've got to finalize them before I start Draft 3 and it's the hardest thing ever. Next time, I'm just choosing their names right away.Labels: Black Hole Son, criticism, revising