Monday, November 24, 2008

Finished.

Just wrote the last of it--the first draft of THE MOSQUITO VINE is complete.

356 pages.

95,136 words.

10 comments:

Jason said...

Wow, don't everyone congratulate me all at once.

Jimu said...

Grats!! so when do we get to Read the monster?

Anonymous said...

Congrats. Good job sticking with it!

Jason said...

Thanks guys--I was a little surprised at how nonchalant people were when I told them I WROTE A GOD DAMN BOOK...but whatever.

Maybe my folks'll be impressed when they actually get to see this thing later this week--when I go to KC.

As far as reading it...I'm going to take about 2 months off, to get some distance from the material. Once I start editing, in Febuary--I plan on going through this at a slow, but steady pace. I'm leaning towards about a month per 100 pages.

So I should be done with the initial edit (but remember, I have edited the first 100 already) around the end of April.

Leah gets to read it first. Pending her approval I'm going to pass it 'round to my "inner reading circle."

Jimu--you're there man. Brittany--I really value your opinion, because I know you're as evil as I am and I think you could bring the right attitude to this project...even though you refuse to let me read ANYTHING you've written.

Once the first wave readers have had a crack at it, I suspect there will be edits/revisions. The last person I want to look at it (so that it's the most polished) is my old teacher/mentor Terri.

From there, I'm afraid the picture gets fuzzy. Look, I'm a realist: I realize that I am probably not "ready for prime-time" so to speak, as a novelist. This first effort is just that, a first effort. But every time I write, I feel like I get better. I learn something new. This experience has taught me SO MUCH. I had no idea how much a person could learn in just a year. Not only do I no longer fear the next book (because there WILL be another) but I relish the opprotunity to apply what I've learned...

Holy shit, this comment has become a fucking blog post. Anyway, the bottom line is--I feel like I proved something to myself and to the world. I can call myself a writer now, for sure, with no hesitation.

But there is still work to be done. Stay tuned--and if you want to be a reader, let me know in the next few months.

Anonymous said...

Evil? I try, I try. And for the record, everything I write is cliche and therefore will not be read by others. Maybe when I'm proud of something I've written...

Anonymous said...

Congrats (sorry, been sick with brochitis). You've done something I have not. You've actually wrote a complete novel.

Good on you.

Respects,
Murph
On the Outer Marches

Jason said...

Sorry to hear that you are sick.

I thought you had two books under you belt?!? Weird. Why did I think that?

Anonymous said...

I'm slow, admittedly. I've been sick and then, washing Thanksgiving dishes. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I think you have inspired my next sabbatical proposal. :)

Anonymous said...

I have two short stories published and I "helped" with two novels. :) A little different.

Respects,
Murph
On the Outer Marches

Jason said...

Well thanks, everyone. I couldn't have done it without the support and encouragement.

I was enjoying the idea of getting some "time off" now that I'm done...but I just started reading Malcolm Gladwell's book OUTLIERS--which is all about studying success (the how and why people get successful) and it seems that the only way to be great at ANYTHING is practice (the research indicates 10,000 hours of practice is needed to reach the "mater" level of whatever you're doing).

SO, I guess I'll start working on something next week...you know...to keep me practicing. Then in a couple of months I'll start the editing process.