Ha!
So, when I handed it in as my thesis, my novel, The Prodigal Hour, clocked in at roughly 104,000 words.
Besides some job hunting and basic settling in during the past two weeks, I’ve been doing pretty much nothing besides revising. I bound a few copies using Lulu, then cracked it open with some notes from some trusted friends . . .
I’m proud of this, for the first time. I read the whole book pretty fresh, trying to see it as a new reader might despite that I wrote the damned thing (arguably the single greatest stumbling block to revision), but the thing I keep noticing is that I like it.
I try to avoid “good.” Or “great.” Or “fucking rad.” But I’m so psyched that I can just about say, “Wow, I wrote a book I like.”
I’ve been cutting like mad. So far, I’ve hacked nearly 10,000 words off, and I’m hoping for another several thousand. But the cool thing is that I’ve noticed, after cutting the extraneous words, that the words that remain are shiny.
And I’m having fun. Oh, boyhow.
I thought I’d share a bit with you:
Chance laughed. “I’m not sure you could’ve, Cass.” He thought of all those traveling men with their quills and parchments, with their boats and their spears, and if he had possessed a compass, he would have taken it up to rechart the world before him, tygers be damned. This place was his. He claimed it. The present we share, but the past and the future belong to Chance.
Made me smile, anyway.
So, off to finish. My goal is this weekend. And then: submissions, as well as maybe a few sleeve-tricks. I’ve got nothing up them, but you should know by now I might just produce a rabbit, anyway.
Abracadabra, motherfucker.
June 18, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Since I now have tons of time on my hands, I’m excited to hear you excited about your book–and excited to here it may be finding its way to my hot, little hands soonsoon. I’ll try to make time for it between rounds of sulking. 😛
June 18, 2008 at 10:05 pm
hear…not here.
June 19, 2008 at 5:55 am
Niiiiice. A bit of a magician.
Can you make money grow on trees, too?
June 19, 2008 at 7:10 am
I’m waiting for the day your book is on the shelves without me placing it there. 🙂
June 19, 2008 at 9:10 am
@Alma: oh, very soon.
@Lisa: oh, how I wish.
@Miya: yes, very soon. And can you do me a favor and email me at willentrekin at yahoo dot com? Pretty please?
June 19, 2008 at 10:56 am
Favor granted. 🙂 I can’t resist a “pretty please” especially on such an easy request.
June 21, 2008 at 1:53 am
Rabit huh? I see you more likely producing a alliagtor either for shock value or to eat the previous writer’s rabbit. 😛
I realise you either celebrate wither either wine and pizza at home or going out with a good freind(s). I would like to add something to your “celebratory” plans uppon completeing your book. (Ignore typos) Breathe. Just go out side and breathe. Make sure your stomach isn’t in knotts and make sure your relaxed. Maybe your one of those people who is always in a Zen like state of happiness, maybe the line at the DMV even seems fun to you, but in case your not I want you to breathe.