I finally got the word count down from 77K to the lower 60Ks. I had to scrap a ton of unnecessary description and dialogue, cut out a chapter or two, and basically be merciless with the 'Delete' key, but it's official. This thing has finally crossed the border between YA and upper MG land.
And that means that my work is cut out for me this weekend, since I'll be getting ready to resubmit, beef up my MG agent wish list, and see if my query letter needs any changes.
As soon as that's done, I'll pull out ELEGY, which is nearing the home stretch. I just have to figure out how the ending is going to work, since I hate twist endings that you can spot a mile away or that make you go "WHAT. WHY." I'll try to avoid that...
I made a Pandora station for this manuscript and The Masquerade Waltz by Aram Khachaturian keeps popping up. I love it. I already have a theme song for ELEGY (the Massenet Elegie, which I'll post about another time) but if I didn't, this would be it. It's so grand and sweeping, yet there's a definite undertone of eerie... which is basically what I want people to think about this book.
Hope your week is going well so far! (And if you're in the Northeast, I hope you're planning to hunker down with some writing this weekend like me. All this snow would have been nice around Christmas *grumble*)
Yay for finishing edits! Wahoo! And I'm so impressed you were able to cut so much. So far I've deleted about 500 words in mine, and it's been killing me! LOL.
I like the idea of making a Pandora station or playlist for writing. I tried listening to my own playlist when I was writing, but it's much easier and less distracting to work out to Britney's music than it is to write to it. :)
Yay, yay, yay! Congratulations on finishing edits! I've been there with having to cut a huge amount and know how gratifying it feels to finally reach the goal. Sometimes less really is more, you know? Good luck with all the query and agent database prep! :)
Niiice! I'm sure your future agent is on that list of yours!! :)
I don't think PA supposed to get any snow, but it's still cold cold cold. Didn't Punxsutawney Phil predict an early spring? When is that earlyness supposed to happen exactly??
Good luck with you writing stuff and stay warm and safe this weekend!!
Congratulations on finishing your edits, AND for turning your YA novel into an MG novel. No small feat. I probably say this every time you post a PPP update, but ALL THE BEST TO YOU, Julie!! The ms must have been close to ready for an agent to recommend switching to MG, so I think you have every reason to be optimistic. :)
Alex: Wow, that's the complete opposite problem! I wonder what that feels like.
Mark: Thank you! I'll try my best!
Tiana: Woo-hoo, you can do it!! Chop chop chop away!
Workaholic: LOL. My iPod is so eclectic because I'm listening to Britney and hiphop at the gym, and then BAM, all of a sudden there's Mozart and Hans Zimmer.
Shari: Thank you!!! I'll need all that luck! It's such a good feeling to know the story's in the right word count ballpark. Phew!
Laura: I sure hope so!! And I don't trust Phil... not ONE bit. He probably lied about not seeing his shadow and is snuggled in his nest laughing at everyone. Stay warm yourself!
Nicole: AGREED. I always have a fight with word count... but usually end up winning, thank goodness!
L.D.: I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK. *hunts for ice cream spoon*
Daisy: Glad you like the music!! And I really, really hope PPP is snag-worthy.
DL: Good thinking! And ELEGY will be sent your way sooner than you know it!
Alexandra: Thanks so much! It was painful to cut the words out at first, but after a while it's kind of addicting! :)
Medeia: Agreed, and my manuscript is so much better for all the word-chopping! Hope your revisions are going well, too!
Colin: I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your encouragement. Thanks for your kind words and I wish YOU all the best as well!!
Your editing sounds slightly painful but I'm glad you've achieved so much while maintaining the story! Best of luck with your ongoing query, my fingers are crossed.
And good luck with finishing Elegy! Twists are tricky to get right, but I'm sure yours will rock.
I am an aspiring YA/MG author and I've been writing since I could hold a pen. Join me as I navigate the post-college world and work toward my dream of getting published.
FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS (FOTL) (Novel, YA Epic Fantasy) An exiled princess searches for the five elements she needs to win the allegiance of the dragons and reclaim her kingdom from the grasp of an evil empress.
-♥-
ANCHOR ISLAND (Novel, YA Romance) A romantic comedy about a girl who gets a second chance to win her first love when her mom marries into the wealthy summer community of Anchor Island.
-♥-
SEAWALL (Novel, YA Fantasy/Paranormal) Fate brings Noah back to his estranged father's seaside home, where he encounters the legend of the dark mermaids who seem to be targeting his family.
-♥-
GARDENSPELL (Novel, Upper MG Fantasy) After the witch who cursed her family dies, Freesia must defy the king's non-magic laws to venture into the Witchlands and break the spell.
Posts
19 comments:
I can't imagine having to cut so much. I'm at the other end - I have to add to hit the word count.
Best of luck and stay warm up there :)
Yay for finishing edits! Wahoo! And I'm so impressed you were able to cut so much. So far I've deleted about 500 words in mine, and it's been killing me! LOL.
I like the idea of making a Pandora station or playlist for writing. I tried listening to my own playlist when I was writing, but it's much easier and less distracting to work out to Britney's music than it is to write to it. :)
Yay, yay, yay! Congratulations on finishing edits! I've been there with having to cut a huge amount and know how gratifying it feels to finally reach the goal. Sometimes less really is more, you know? Good luck with all the query and agent database prep! :)
Niiice! I'm sure your future agent is on that list of yours!! :)
I don't think PA supposed to get any snow, but it's still cold cold cold. Didn't Punxsutawney Phil predict an early spring? When is that earlyness supposed to happen exactly??
Good luck with you writing stuff and stay warm and safe this weekend!!
Nicely done on making those edits! Word counts are tricky beasts. :)
Celebration time. Chocolate. Ice cream. Or maybe chocolate ice cream.
Ooh, this is gorgeous! I'm keeping your page open while I blog hop tonight, just so I can listen!
Congrats on finishing your revisions! Can't wait to see who snags up PPP! :)
My "hunkering" lately involves reading a lot of YA books so I get the tone down right. The editing is just around the corner.
Can't wait to get my hands on Elegy! :)
Awesome! Congrats on the book cropping. It isn't easy to cut things out of a manuscript. I'm looking forward to reading your work. :)
Best,
Alexandra~
It's hard to cut, but worth it to have a tight manuscript. I love this tune.
Congratulations on finishing your edits, AND for turning your YA novel into an MG novel. No small feat. I probably say this every time you post a PPP update, but ALL THE BEST TO YOU, Julie!! The ms must have been close to ready for an agent to recommend switching to MG, so I think you have every reason to be optimistic. :)
Alex: Wow, that's the complete opposite problem! I wonder what that feels like.
Mark: Thank you! I'll try my best!
Tiana: Woo-hoo, you can do it!! Chop chop chop away!
Workaholic: LOL. My iPod is so eclectic because I'm listening to Britney and hiphop at the gym, and then BAM, all of a sudden there's Mozart and Hans Zimmer.
Shari: Thank you!!! I'll need all that luck! It's such a good feeling to know the story's in the right word count ballpark. Phew!
Laura: I sure hope so!! And I don't trust Phil... not ONE bit. He probably lied about not seeing his shadow and is snuggled in his nest laughing at everyone. Stay warm yourself!
Nicole: AGREED. I always have a fight with word count... but usually end up winning, thank goodness!
L.D.: I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK. *hunts for ice cream spoon*
Daisy: Glad you like the music!! And I really, really hope PPP is snag-worthy.
DL: Good thinking! And ELEGY will be sent your way sooner than you know it!
Alexandra: Thanks so much! It was painful to cut the words out at first, but after a while it's kind of addicting! :)
Medeia: Agreed, and my manuscript is so much better for all the word-chopping! Hope your revisions are going well, too!
Colin: I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your encouragement. Thanks for your kind words and I wish YOU all the best as well!!
It's done? YAY!
And how did you know I could do with a little waltz music this morning? Thanks for that! :)
Your editing sounds slightly painful but I'm glad you've achieved so much while maintaining the story! Best of luck with your ongoing query, my fingers are crossed.
And good luck with finishing Elegy! Twists are tricky to get right, but I'm sure yours will rock.
Congratulations!!! You are on a roll. :)
For now I can only wish to be able to write that much, but I'm enjoying watching your journey. :)
~Akoss
That's a very nice piece! I love Khachaturian. Congrats on the whittle-down--that's really hard!
David: Glad you liked it! :)
Nick: Thanks so much, I will need all of the luck I can get!
Akoss: You can do it! Hopefully you've been very productive ever since :D
Katherine: Thanks so much! Whittling down is TOUGH, but it can be done!
Post a Comment