I am working on a novel with my friend J.A. Eddy. It is, for the most part, a Science Fiction novel, although we would like to think that it transcends most genre fiction. There is no easy formula to what we are doing.
It is one of the most intense experiences I have ever gone through. Indeed, it is often rather amusing: we get into fights where we practically hate each other. On all the big things we utterly agree, and then some small point will have us practically at blows. Sometimes I get my way, and sometimes John does. But regardless of what happens, we keep moving forward.
Our girl is a maddeningly difficult bitch to work with, I must tell you.
I also note something else amusing: I increasingly find myself writing like our main character, rather than like myself. It is as if her voice has become stuck in my head. I find this perverse, delightful and revealing. If you have noticed that my blog-voice has changed lately, you now know why.
30,000 words in the can, a complete outline, and several future chapters already written but begging for polishing and insertion into the main narrative. That's where we stand today, and every day we move forward from that.
We have shown a few of you what we have so far. Most of you are webloggers, and about 75% of you are female, because we badly want women to like this book. Practically all of you have given us valuable insights and recommendations. Sometimes we have taken your suggestions, and sometimes we have not, but your comments have been routinely valuable and insightful.
We believe we have something that is unique, and upon more than one level. For starters, this may well be the first novel produced entirely on content that first appeared on a weblog, and that webloggers helped to both create and shape. We might well be able to claim that it is the first true blog-novel. (Oh, and every single one of you who have given us your thoughts and input will get a nod, and a printing of your blog-URL, in the book's acknowledgements. We do not forget our friends.)
But, beyond that, we believe that, while of course no work of fiction is ever entirely unique, we have a concept and approach that is genuinely novel and nearly impossible to steal. So, if you are one of the persons we have asked for input, I would like to re-emphasize that we have only three major questions for you:
1) Are you digging this?Oh, and by the way? If we have asked you to read this and tell us what you think, we probably won't ask you again. We need to close off how many people we've asked to help vette this.
2) Are we making you want to keep reading?
3) Do you see anything fundamentally wrong with what we're doing?
Indeed, we are about to the point with this book that we believe we need to find either an agent or a publisher. Because we think it really is quite good. We hope that those of you who've seen it will agree--and hope you'll say so if you do.
We will self-publish on the internet if we have to, but we do not think we will have to. Which, by the way, leads me to my Big Question:
Does anyone out there know of a publisher or agent who might like to look at our outline and a few finished chapters?
* Update * More musings upon the creative process in the comments here.
I posted an reply of the original page
Head on over to Baen's Bar, the message board for Baen Publishing, register for an account, and ask that question on one of their boards.
Jim Baen, from what I have heard and seen, runs a very friendly author's community. They even have a 'Slush Pile' board for hopeful authors to post samples.
Damn, the URL didn't take in that post.
OK, here it goes... Baen's Bar is at:
http://bar.baen.com/
Speaking as a sporadic writer (Walking with Dragons) I hope it all goes well with the two of you.
BTW, Chuckg is right, when it comes to writing advice Baen's Bar is a good place to get advice.
Yup. And judging from the online comments I've seen David Weber, Eric Flint, S.M. Stirling, and several others making for years, Baen is one of the biggest *non* screw-the-author publishers.
Since we're in "drool over Baen mode" let me add that Baen Books has electronic copies of their in print books for folks to download free and give a tryout. Most folks read a few pages on their monitors, then go out and buy it hardcopy. Last I checked this policy had actually increased sales.
A science fiction novel by Dean Esmay -- and with a heroine, a female central character? Sounds fascinating! Please let me know when it's out! I can't wait to get my hands on such a book.
Until a few weeks ago, I was a publisher, so I never even thought about getting an agent for my stuff. I will offer this advice, tho: finish the book first, before you shop it around. That's because if you do get a nibble from one of your queries, the prospective agent or publisher is going to want to see the finished product, then and there. If it's not ready, then you go back to the end of the line and wait again, so to speak.
We had a firm policy to never agree to anything that wasn't finished. 100% of those who queried with partial works never finished their books.
Every agent ot publisher has their own policies, but unless there's a demonstrated track record for previous books, nobody's going to touch something not yet done, methinks.
Just my two cents.
One of the beautiful things about the internet is you still can't punch somebody in the nose over AIM, so Dean and I are safe on that score.
I did take the offered advice and go sign up over at the Baen site. What I found there confirms Trudy's advice- we have to finish this before we can do anything about a publisher. Of course, we had no clue... the power of the blogosphere strikes again!
See, now that is interesting, because I have read in several other places that many publishers just want to see an outline and a few finished chapters.
Doesn't matter either way, since we are committed to finishing. It will be finished.
They want to see the outline and finished chapters of non-fiction, a synopsis and sample chapters of fiction. That's to cut down on the sheer mass of mail they get. Some will accept e-mailed submissions, but you need to research your targets thoroughly to find out their in-house policies, which will vary.
If they like the sample, they'll ask to see the rest.
Also, many publishers/agents have policies against simultaneous submissions to multiple targets.
Thanks Trudy. That makes perfect sense.
So priority #1 remains unchanged for us: this book must be finished!
Which it will be, even if it kills us. ;-)
Dean -
Of course you will finish your book - you don't have to sell me on that! Finishing it will be the easy part!
With my contact with agents and publishers - I have found that it is good to have the whole thing ready for them - but they probably will not read the whole thing.
They will know within 2 pages whether or not they like it.
It's pretty harsh.
It's like an acting audition - where they pretty much know from when you say "Hello" upon entering the room whether you are right for the part. That's why having a good look, a put-together look, and working on how you enter a room is so damn important. I've been on the other side of the table at acting auditions, in the casting process, and I learned so much. Within 2 seconds, you can tell if someone's neurotic, a nightmare, difficult, or really funny and confident.
That's why it is essential that you get yourself a kick-ass beginning. You don't have a lot of time to hold them, and they won't care if you think page 55 is where the story really kicks in.
Just my two cents.
Oh and yeah - make sure you really read the fine print about simultaneous submissions. I had the fear of God put into me on that one.
They will know within 2 pages whether or not they like it.
Dude. You just told us, in one line, everything that's wrong with our wretched prologue.
You rule.
Sounds interesting... I wish you guys the best of luck!
Dean -
Glad to be of help.
One suggestion - you mentioned to me once that you haven't been really reading stuff other than your own writing ... at least in terms of fiction. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that ...
But one of the things I do, on occasion, is if a book has hit the big-time in a huge way, getting a ton of praise, I'll pick it up in the bookstore, and read the first couple of pages.
See how they did it. See what how they started it. It's very interesting. You can learn a lot from it.
Well, yes and no. I've recently been obsessively reading other people's fiction, looking for inspiration. That's always dicey, because you don't want to lift whatever they've done, but you do want to get ideas and inspiration.
Other writers are a constant source of inspiration. "Great composers are great thieves," said Tchaikovsky, and he was right.
I do have a hard time these days reading some other authors, for I have a perverse urge to take whatever they've done and "fix" it. Indeed, here's a huge bit of conceit: I was reacently re-reading some Mark Twain, and I found myself wanting to re-write it just to "fix" it. Talk about mad arrogance. If I think I can re-write Samuel Clemens, there is something very, very wrong with me. ;-)
But have no doubt: I read other authors constantly. What on earth would I do without the likes of Clemens, Hemingway, Heinlein, McCaffrey, Rice, Woodiwiss, Pohl, Clancy, and other giants?
Wretched prologue?!
Oh, man, you are so lucky I can't deliver a shot to the nose through AIM...
You're also lucky your proposed fix is so good... damn you.
Dean wrote:
"I also note something else amusing: I increasingly find myself writing like our main character, rather than like myself. It is as if her voice has become stuck in my head. I find this perverse, delightful and revealing. If you have noticed that my blog-voice has changed lately, you now know why."
1) If your heroine sounds like you writing on your blog, I definitely want to read it! I love your _style_!
2) I find myself reminding me of my own characters. When I'm writing about government and the Constitution, I sound like Mr. Bricker. When I'm writing about sex and/or religion, I sound like Dawn and her wife Norma. And sometimes I sound like wicked Wanda, ha! ha!
Actually the prologue was good, it was the prelude to the prologue that was sucking. ;-)