Dodging revisions

[mrissa]

The thing about doing revisions is that then when I'm reading other people's books, I notice things that should have gotten caught three drafts ago. Where three people are described as doing something "immediately" in half a page, where everybody scowls, where the adverbs pile up one too thick. Where someone "putts his jacket" rather than "puts his jacket on." (Just caught that one a minute ago in my own draft.)

Bad Magic has been fine for that, nothing jumping out as annoying carelessness. It's not really...it's a good book, nothing really wrong with it, but...it's a Your Weird Crap Is Okay But It's Not My Weird Crap book, and let's avoid coining an acronym out of that if at all possible. Nothing nasty falls out of it, it's just ungainly, as acronyms go.

Back on the subject of my weird crap, I will note that in Chapter 11 of Thermionic Night, my protag looks in the mirror and does not describe what he sees. Take that, universe!

As readers of the other journal know, I now have a silly nickname for my Aesir noir book, The Big, Chilly Icelandic Falcon, or, Thor Framed Roger Rabbit. (I was explaining to markgritter why my detective main character doesn't work with gods, and he said, "Not because they dropped a safe on his partner?" Um. No. But the nickname amuses me. Not taking myself seriously is a very good goal just now. There will be no obnoxious cartoons in this book. No cartoons of any kind.) I'm doing all sorts of comforting things like mocking myself and using funny colors of ink in order to distract myself that I'm finishing this current book, that in not too long it will have to go out in the world or at least across the office to timprov and across the hall to markgritter, who will tell me how and why it makes no sense and they don't like it, and then out to other, even more distant eyes, who will tell me how and why it makes no sense and they don't like it. And all that is useful and a good step and all that, but it makes me skittish every damn time. These days when I try to stop believing in my YAs, I have people who've read them and made happy comments on them. So it's easier to keep believing in them, but that first step...is a doozy.

Still, we're not there yet -- Chapter 11 is being written from scratch, because the old one was really Chapter 12 -- and I'm dodging the notecards with lj. So I'd better get back to them, if I'm going to get anything done before it's time to fetch a pizza for dinner. Notecards ho, and all that.

Comments

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

I heard a rumor the other day that might interest you. A guy in my writer's group wrote a partial for a fantasy novel based on nordic mythology. (Thor, etc.) It was nibbled on and then rejected by a major publisher because that sort of mythology "doesn't sell." I think they're full of it, but it's probably something that would be useful for you to know. Apparently there are those in the field who believe this maxim. Strange.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Somebody had better tell Nancy Farmer's publisher that soon....

Seriously, I'm sure there will be publishers who won't buy a book with Finnish mythology because it's too unfamiliar, or with Norse mythology because it "doesn't sell," or with Celtic mythologies because they're overdone or any of a number of other reasons. Currently my job is to write the books my brain will let me write and try to make them good enough that the first few chapters make the editors and publishers want them for what they are.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

my Aesir noir book,

Hurrah for Aesir, hurrah for noir! My Norsish story is still vacillating about how noir it wants to be.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

The blonde walks into the detective's office and asks for his help. It's just that the blonde is Sigyn.

I hope this book is actually as much fun to write as seems like it'll be.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Back on the subject of my weird crap, I will note that in Chapter 11 of Thermionic Night, my protag looks in the mirror and does not describe what he sees. Take that, universe!

Bless you! For that act alone the Gods of Fiction should reward you with a nice deal that includes a big advance and a contract for multiple books.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Aesir noir? That sounds just TOO good.

*snicker*

[dancingwriter.livejournal.com]

Aesir noir! I can't wait! (ponders Freyja as a noir character...)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Freyja. Yes. Heh. Freyja is something of a problem for Our Hero. Not the biggest one he has, but certainly a problem.

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

I'm continually baffled at how these publishers have secret knowledge of what "sells" and what doesn't. If that's the case, how come they keep spending millions on these stinker celebrity bios and then get surprised when some midlist nobody breaks out onto the bestseller list?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I believe that some editors and publishers really do have a good sense for what'll sell, and others probably don't, and still others have blind spots, large or small. Some do a good deal of market research to keep their finger on the pulse in their genre and/or category, but even that is only going to tell them what's sold so far, not what's going to sell in the future.

I don't know. I just keep on, and hope I get to work with good ones.