Plug, plug, plug...

It's been a while since I have posted anything about my writing, mostly because it's been a slow process and my thoughts have been anywhere and everywhere. I'm still in the querying process for November Rain, and fear I always will be. My train of thoughts with this one is: "At what point do I give up and move on?"

*I am also thinking of changing the title. A book title says everything, and lately I feel November Rain might be a little...emo. Anyone have any suggestions??

I don't want to give up because I feel it deserves representation, and mostly, publication. But at what point do I need to think realistically? It may be a great story with a moving theme and great characters, but what I'm finding is it's just not big enough. I have received some very nice rejections from agents (though most have been form rejections) who have stated that they thought on it, it sounded like a good story, but due to the high demand and busy schedules, it wasn't something they wanted to take on. They're looking for something that catches their eye in a way nothing else does. Unfortunately, this is all based off of a query letter and not the manuscript. I feel if they would only read the manuscript they'd feel differently. But I'm sure every aspiring author feels the same way.

I am going to keep going, however. I had a list of about fifteen more agents, the next ones in line. And now that it is edited to its fullest (as much as it can be anyway), I will probably start that sometime next week. I've actually edited it about 4 more times since my last post...when I said I was done editing it. :) And these edits were the biggest, the most drastic.

On to my next project, which is unnamed as of now. I started writing this book about a week ago and I'm about 23,000 words into it. It's different than anything I imagined writing before, or what I have written, so I have a LOT of mixed feelings. At this point, I'm just not sure how it's going to come together. I worry it will just out right suck and that the story won't appeal to anyone (or they will think it's lame). I'm hoping that once it's done and I go through a few edits and it starts coming together, I feel differently about it.

At one point, I will be writing it or reading through what I've written and I will love it and it'll move me, and then the next time I will want to throw my computer through the window because It just seems to suck. But I think part of that depends on my mood and how tired I am. I also know that I need to keep at it because I might have a better view when I'm done.

One reason I struggle is that I love writing about realistic life circumstances, the human emotions and heart thrilling me, but though this one has those aspects, there is a "fantasy" twist to it, bringing it away from a realistic book. The trick with things like that is trying to write the fantasy side in a realistic way so that it FEELS real...and that's where I worry. It's not a fantasy in the sense of fairies or vampires or anything mythical or huge like that--frankly, I lack the imagination. But it's enough away from this reality that it can be considered "fantasy." I think.

I know where it would fit in the bookstore--mainstream fiction--but what genre do I classify it as when it comes time to query agents? I know I still have a long time to go before I have to worry about that, but I can't help but think it. If I query it as fantasy, I'm worried agents might think it a full-out fantasy. Because it's not the average fantasy--and also not the average women's fiction/mainstream fiction--I just don't know how to categorize it.

But I will cross that bridge when I come to it. So as of right now, I am working on pulling the story together, figuring out the little elements that tie the story together and make the plot driven enough, or believable. I'm stumped in a few areas, but I'm hoping that (and I'm going from past experience) as I start writing it and getting to those points, the ideas will flow and come out as I'm writing.

Crossing my fingers.

Comments

dmaismith said…
Could your new venture be considered magical realism?

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