Okay, technically, this is about how I'm nine days into editing STARWIND. But "Nine Days of Editing STARWIND" isn't nearly as nice a title.
Anyway.
So, yes. Nine days in, at two chapters a day, which means I'm... a tiny bit over 69% of the way done. I was really hoping for a rounder number than that, but I'll take it. Things are going quite fast, and I'm glad for that; this is largely the quick-and-dirty edit wherein I make sure everything works and all the pieces are in place and I don't end up having a character enter the cockpit twice in the same scene. (Again.)
I've also added about 1500 words and will surely add the remaining 150 or so to bring the book to 100K total, which is kind of awesome. Yes, I'll cut quite a bit when it comes time to edit the book by hand, as always, but since sci-fi and fantasy books are usually on the longer side, I like the idea of it being a novel of good size.
But enough about the technical aspects. How's the actual story going?
I'm really pleased with it so far, which makes me happier than I have time to explain. For the most part, everything is working, and a lot of the stuff I was worried about hasn't happened. The characters generally come off as who they're supposed to be, though the dialogue will need some work to sound more natural. I was also concerned that the story itself would seem too... unmoored, I think, might be the best way to put it, since it jumps from world to world every few chapters. But that doesn't seem to be happening, for one simple reason:
The Starwind itself.
Having the ship as the main location of the story, where all the different events start and end, has worked out better than I'd planned. The ship really comes off as these characters' home, which is what I was going for, and that's tremendously gratifying.
Considering how much I've been racked by doubt and worse over the past few months (or just all my life), it feels really good to go over my work and feel like I've done it well, even more so when things I wasn't even consciously trying for have worked out. It remains to be seen if readers will feel the same way about it, of course, but I can worry about that later. Right now, I'm enjoying this initial trip through the story, and I'm looking forward to eventually sharing it with people.
Speaking of that: for anyone who's interested in beta-reading STARWIND, I have a quasi-deadline. Yes, there's a good reason for this, I swear. I'm going on the Writing Excuses Out of Excuses 2016 Writing Workshop and Retreat, and that's in mid-September. I plan to have STARWIND in a readable version by the start of August. If you want to read the book, and can do so in the month of August and be able to give me feedback by the start of September so I can make any changes I need to before the workshop/cruise, please let me know. ^_^
Next week: IWSG.
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I like about stories set on a ship. It's the anchor and the characters can go wherever. Kind of like Star Trek.
I know, right? And I never really figured that was how things would turn out until I wrote the book and realized that was how it worked. Maybe I just haven't read/watched enough ship-based sci-fi.
DeleteIn many books, movies, and TV shows where the cast members are shipbound, the ship is often more than a setting. It's a character. For instance, Serenity on Firefly and the Lexx on Lexx. (Note how those two shows are named for the ship!)
ReplyDeleteWish I could help you with the beta read, but August looks dicey: a family vacation, daughter moving to college, foreign exchange student moving in ... But oh wow, a writing retreat/cruise in the Caribbean sounds amazing!
Well, I did name STARWIND after the ship because of Firefly, as well as the anime series Outlaw Star, which is also named after the ship. So clearly it's a good tradition. ^_^
DeleteAnd no worries about the beta read; I wanted to throw it out so anyone who was interested and available would know, but I know not everyone will be.
Sweet! If you're flying through it that quickly, you must have done a pretty good job last time through. Super exciting! I don't know how my August is shaping up yet since I'm supposed to be working on a TON of book release stuff, but if I feel like I can squeeze in a read, I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that, thank you. ^_^ And the first edit is always the quick-and-dirty one, mostly just going through it and making sure everyone's in character and everything that happens makes sense. The second one, when I print the book out and edit it with a pen, takes longer.
DeleteWoot woot! That's awesome things are going well. I typically like the ship-home stories.
ReplyDeleteI'd be more than happy to beta-listen for you, though I don't know that I gave you much constructive on the last one.
Oh, and if you encounter Rachel Seamount on your cruise, tell her hi from Loni in Boise. (If she stares at you blankly, say critique group and it might register.)
Hey, if you're willing to beta-listen, I'll send it your way. ^_^ And that's very cool that you know someone who got the scholarship for the cruise. If I remember (I'm horrible with names) I'll tell her you say hi if I meet her.
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