by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I have totally reworked the beginning of the third draft of this novel and now I’m going through and editing it so it makes sense. In general, the story is really good. And, yet, because I’m doing all of this in a creative vacuum…I just don’t know.
I honestly just don’t know.
Some of the story is a bit…edgy…and I just don’t know what that most important of audience categories — women — will think of what I’ve come up with. But there comes a point when you just do the best with what you have. I just don’t have a “reader” to give me any guidance, so all I can do is move forward and try to finish the novel.
It definitely seems as though the novel will now fit the ~100,000 word sweetspot. Or if it’s longer, it will be longer in a manageable way. It shouldn’t be anymore than. I’m estimating the novel will now be no longer than 120,000-ish words the way things are going.
And all of this continues to make me want to do a backup plan. I have three solid back up scifi novels. If I do ever break down and write them, I will be sure to have them single (male) POV and be no more than 100,000 words.
Anyway. I’m looking forward to finally — finally — getting into the part of the novel that I’ve already written. Things should move far, far faster once I’m actually writing the third draft of the novel and not just spinning my wheeling at the very beginning of the novel trying to figure out relationships.
