Tag: writing about writing

I Wish I Could Get In Touch With Rachel Sennott About This Scifi Dramedy Novel I’ve Written

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Apparently, at some point in the past Rachel Sennott was really active on Twitter. But, alas, no more. That would have been my only option to maybe, just maybe catch her attention the center of my novel sits a young woman that looks — in my imagination — just like her.

Rachel Sennott I love you IN ALL CAPs. Ha!

But I’m older and wiser now.

I used to think such things were actually possible, but, lulz, I think Ms. Sennott wouldn’t give me the chance to send the novel to her, even if I could contact her in some way. That’s just not how things really work in the real world.

The entire point of this process is just to see how far I can get. That’s always been the point. Maybe I don’t get this novel published. Maybe it’s the next one that gets a little bit further down the road and people take it more seriously, even if I remain a kook.

The Beta Reader Conundrum

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It seems, at least at the moment, that the Beta Reader process is a non-win situation for me. Either I find a good one and they give me all this input that I have to use to make the novel better, which will slow things down, or….I can’t find any at all and the novel isn’t as good when I need to query.

Rachel Sennott is who I think my female romantic lead of my novel looks like.

All of this would be a moot point if I wasn’t so fucking broke. I would just pay a professional manuscript consultant if I had the money. And, yet, lulz, back when I did have enough money to pay someone a little bit they laughed at me because they thought I was a unserious kook (or that my novel was trash, take your pick.)

So. I just don’t know.

I have a few more people I want to give the novel to, but at least one of them I want to actually print the novel out and give it to them. But that’s a slow, pain in the butt process given how I developed the novel so I’m going to punt that particular issue down the road until I’m in the right mood.

Psyching Myself Up To Query

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m definitely in the “now what” phase of things when it comes to this novel. My ability to count on my beta readers is iffy at best and as such I have to just bite the bullet and start the process of preparing to query — even if it means I haven’t had effective beta testing.

But the whole point of this specific novel is just to see how far I can get. It could be that this is going to be a disaster no matter what because I have no idea what I’m doing.

And, yet, at least I will push the edge of my experience with such things a little bit further than I have before. So, the next novel, which I hope to start soon, I will know a little bit more about what is expected of me when it comes to ultimately querying it.

I continue to worry about what literary agents — many who I assume are liberal white women — will think of my social media output. It could be that they will think I’m too big a kook just in general to even consider being my agent. But I am who I am, so, lulz?

Just thinking about querying puts me on edge because it will be me going from the realm of just being a daydreamer who likes to write to actually slamming into the wall known as “The Real World.” People who are normal. People who maybe will take one look at me as part of due diligence and either laugh or run away at what a fucking weirdo I am.

It’s all very possible.

But, if nothing else, it all gives me something to do I suppose.

Finished A Novel At 126,000 Words

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

At long last, I’ve finished a novel that is good enough to query. It’s been a long road as documented by all the posts on this blog, but I’ve finally come to a new era of all of this.

This is the farthest I’ve ever gotten.

Now, to see if I can find some beta readers. The thing about beta readers is too often people promise — PROMISE — to read anything I give them, then they ghost me.

I’ve decided that I’m just going to start querying in September no matter what unless something unexpected happens — which may. I’m generally pretty pleased with the novel, even if it’s a little bit too long for a first novel.

But I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Why I’m Finally Contemplating Writing Short Stories

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It’s June 1st — rabbit, rabbit — and I’ve decided to buckle down and get some work done. There was a moment there after wrapping up A Version of my novel where I kind of locked up and…grieved. For a few days there, I had a from of creative post-partum depression.

But I’ve recovered at last and now I’m forging ahead.

I have a few things to address.

One is, I have to wrap up the “color correction” draft of the novel. This is going a lot faster than I expected — so far. And after this draft is done, I probably will sit down and actually read the thing all the way through and just edit a name or two and THEN get ready for the main event: beta readers and querying.

Another thing I want to do is start to work on a few short stories. I have a really good one that I’m working on that is flying by. Now, this is the point where the issue of why, all of a sudden, I’m willing to “lower” myself to writing short stories comes up.

Well, there are a few issues.

One issue is AI is really helping me with development. So, I can zoom through what might otherwise take months to do in a few days. Second, I finally have managed to squeeze out a novel of some sort that I’m proud of, so I have that out of my system for the time being.

I have another novel or two I’m thinking about working on soon, but probably that won’t happen until I officially start querying. Maybe. I still struggle with doing more than on thing creatively, but AI has helped a lot to facilitate just that.

At Long Last, I May Actually Be Writing A Short Story Or Two

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Something that haters have frequently suggested to me is I should write a short story instead of a novel. I have always said “fuck that” until now for a number of reasons.

One reason is the rise of AI has made development of a short story far easier and quicker. Also, I’ve actually finished a reasonably good novel — or at least one I’m happy enough to query — so I have that under my belt at last.

Anyway, the short story idea I have is pretty good. Once I finish it, I will have to balance submitting it for publication in the context of querying the novel. So, only time will tell how things work out.

I Don’t Quite Know What To Do

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Now that I’m in the “color correction” phase of working on this scifi dramedy novel, I realize I probably need to start work on my next novel. This next novel will be a lot less “spicy.” Also, I will have fixed a crucial workflow issue to the point that I will be a lot more comfortable with the outcome.

I imagine my the female romantic lead of my novel looks like Rachel Sennott.

Also, for some reason, I feel like this is a slack period in my creative life. I just feel a little bit meh. I know what it is — I don’t want to do the next logical thing. I don’t want to read Annie Bot or bone up on how to query.

I don’t wanna.

I just don’t wanna.

And, yet, that’s the next step in the process. I really need to figure out how to query a novel in the first place. As it stands, I have no idea how to do it. I still think it will be the next novel that gets published.

This novel I’m working on is the pathfinder when it comes to querying.

Now, For The ‘Color Correction’ Draft

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I have finally finished “a draft” of this scifi dramedy. Now, to go through and color correct it some by changing names and rewriting some scenes here and there. I’m going to try not to get bogged down with the re-writing…but that’s a real danger.

After I finish the color correction, that’s when I will give that draft to Beta Readers to read and give input.

I’ve noticed that there’s a real chance that this novel will it the vibe of the culture in just the right way and get at least a little bit of traction. Maybe. But I really, really need to manage my expectations.

If I don’t, my poor old heart will deflate in a major way. All I want at this point is to see what it’s like to query. That’s it. Just querying at all with a novel I believe in will be a big deal.

Methodically Making My Way Through The Latter Scenes Of This Scifi Dramedy WIP

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Unlike previous attempts at writing a novel, I’m being very methodical and careful as I wrap up this particular draft of the novel I’m working on. In the past, I have had a tendency to race through the last few scenes.

Ugh.

But now I’m being really careful. I’m writing each scene as I approach the end of the novel carefully, even though I know I will have to potentially rewrite the scenes.

That gets to the core of things — when I do “color correction” in the next draft, I’m really worried about how much rewriting I’m going to have to do. I think I may, in some instances, be forced to rewrite things simply because I don’t want people to think I’ve produced AI slop.

It’s taken me a while to figure out how to integrate AI into my workflow. Now that I understand how exactly to do it, I can do it without any AI slop slipping in. Everything is my own writing in my own voice.

Anyway, it’s going to be a struggle.

I’m Broke & Need A Haircut

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Oh boy, am I broke. Very, very poor. But I need a haircut. So, lulz, I’m set to get a pretty expensive haircut — all things considered. So, I can’t just spend all my money on energy drinks and other “beverages.”

Once I get this haircut, I’m going to buckle down and wrap up this third to last draft of the novel I’m working on. (This one, color correction one, then post-Beta Reader one.)

Anyway. I’m reasonably pleased with my life at the moment other than the severe lack of funds. I going to be very, very poor for the next fortnight or so. But, like I said, I hope to use that “extra time” to focus on finishing this draft of the novel I’m working on.

I hope to wrap this draft of the novel up by the end of the week. That’s the goal, at least. I really don’t want to rush through things like I have in the past. I really want to methodically go through and write scene after scene until the end of the novel as necessary.

This novel is shaping up to be pretty good, if a little spicy.