Tuesday, November 02, 2010

The First Draft

There is another explanation for the lack of sailing and kayaking this year: I have been distracted.

In an earlier post about the National November Writing Month or NaNoWrMo (yucky acronym that) I suggested that I could write about 5k words in 3 days, roughly 1.5k / day. This was not a guestimate, it was the number that came from first hand experience.

About a year ago I had an idea for a novel, and on January 1st resolved to have a go at writing it. And today have finally reached the last page and have a first draft, all 93k words of it.

Of course to be realistic the publishing market hasn't been this bad...oooh.... since for ever, so the odds of getting it published are slim. And rather depressingly the moment the ink is dry on the last page (not literally of course) you have to start re-writing, as you know your characters so much better than at the start.

But review and rewrite is something I can do in November. For the goal has always been the more achievable objective to finish the book, and it looks as if am well on the way to achieving this by the 31st of December.

And, no, I'm not going to say anything about what its about, except there are connections to the picture above.

9 comments:

Tillerman said...

Well done!

And the picture? From NASA, I see. Reddish. Could it be Mars?

You haven't written a novel about office politics at the Mars Bar company have you?

JP said...

Wow, that's a really good idea.

Maybe I should tear up what have written and focus on that instead.

Baydog said...

Saddam Hussein was found in a spider hole with a Mars wrapper next to him.

O Docker said...

Guess you're glad that you dove into this early in the year, JP. No snickers here - I applaud your efforts. Looking forward to reading about spaceships in orbit or travels through the milky way or whatever you're about. Sounds as exciting as the adventures of the three musketeers.

Nothing like the cold winds of November to remind us to get on with it.

Tillerman said...

Hey, I've got first dibs on the idea for a novel about a candy company run by two totally nutty bald old coots, with intimate coverage of the rise (and fall) of a sarcastic, cynical English bastard in their global empire.

Back off.

Baydog said...

Like you know anything about Mars candy bars! As if.........

Doc Häagen-Dazs said...

Congratulations, J.P.! You're awesome!

Cyrille Hydrogene said...

Valles Marineris ! Now that's a place I'd go sailing in a Laser... it needs a bit more water maybe.

JP said...

No comment