I had to pummel my muse and dope her up with caffeine, but I did it. The first draft of my urban fantasy novelette–working title “In the Voices of Innocents”–is complete. I ran the pre-first draft past my first reader (Matthew) and he gave me excellent feedback so that I was able to cut 1000 words. It’s now at a comfortable 8000 words. I doubt I’ll be able to cull another 500 words to drop it back into short story length, but it’s much more streamlined than it was and I’m rather pleased with it.
Next: the Critters queue.
Rah!!!
:). I agree. RAH!!!
Let Me Know
When it comes up in queue – It’ll be my first long piece to read. 😎 There are some markets that like the longer pieces – including some anthos – Ralan.com has several up at the moment (or did).
And I remember some panel at some con where someone asked how writers decide if they’re writing a novel or a short story – and the answer was – the story is as long as the story is, whether novel or short story. If this story is 8,000 words, then it’s supposed to be that long and will find itself a home.
Re: Let Me Know
I’ve got an MPC burning a hole in my pocket which I think I’ll use for “Voices”. Hmm. Got a story already in the queue which is coming up next week, err, but this is a double week . . . um, by my calculations, “Voices” should go up on the 17th. I think.
Anyhoo, I’ll look forward to getting your feedback. 🙂
Ah!
I had not realized that it was urban fantasy, a favorite genre of mine.
Hellacool!
Yah, I’m not big with high or heroic fantasy. Most of the fantasy I write is of the “urban” variety, as is my horror. Or it’s futuristic, but then I don’t know if I should call it Science Fiction or Fantasy.
Labels, glah. They give me such grief. 🙂
::Grin::
Whatever it’s called, I’ll look for it. Cool. 🙂
Gak! Maybe you’d better not read “Wanted: One Hero” then…
About all I write is–well, it may not qualify as “high” or “heroic” fantasy, but it’s definitely of the swords-and-sorcery variety.
Don’t get me wrong, I love dark stuff. Most of my novels include various dark or horrific scenes, and many of my characters aren’t exactly pure. But when all’s said and done, the genre, if not the execution, is still “traditional” fantasy.
Still, congrats for getting it done. 🙂
LOL! Mousie-fangs, I said I didn’t write high/heroic fantasy. I do read it; although to tell you the truth, it’s not my favorite sub-genre. I adore Tolkien and Middle Earth, but there’s so much out there that basically just rehashed what he’s already done. It gets tiresome.
But I do like a lot of traditional fantasy, like Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea Trilogy and the original Anne McCaffrey Pern books, and all of the Datlow/Windling retold fairy tale anthologies. And Tanith Lee is one of my all-time favorite authors. I just write precious little of it, myself, as it tends not to resonant well with my flighty muse-bint.
*Laughs ruefully*
In all candor, I wasn’t particularly empressed with either Pern or Earthsea, myself. But hey, what do I know? 😉
My problem–well, one of my problems–with Earthsea, and other examples of traditional fantasy as well, is tone. I like epic fantasy and dark fantasy, horror and humor, often all in the same work. (If I ever get any of my novels published, you’ll find that some of my funniest moments come right before, right after, or even in the midst of some truly grotesque stuff.) But regardless of the content, I have to find the prose enjoyable to read. Heck, as much as I love Tolkien for content, I can’t read his books that often, because I have to slog through the prose. To me, many of the older fantasies–like Earthsea–are written too ponderously to be an enjoyable read. And no matter how “good” a book is, if I don’t enjoy reading it, at least on some level, what’s the point, ya know?
That’s why, even though I readily admit that his plots are mundane and his characters one-dimensional, I enjoy reading David Eddings (just as a f’rinstance).
Snarf! Eddings is one of my guilty pleasures, along with Laurel K. Hamilton (for the dark, horror, vampire side of things). The prose is simple, the setting hackneyed, but sometimes I just want to sit down for a nice fun read. And the action scenes are to die for.
But I love being swept away by beautiful prose and epic settings and vibrant characters. I want my words to be as poetic as Tanith Lee’s, or Ray Bradbury’s, or Harlan Ellison’s, and I want my characters to be as intricate and fascinating as Orson Scott Card’s. Aw, heck, while I’m at it, I want my stories to have the clever wit of Douglas Adams’ and sell like Stephan King’s. There, that should cover all my bases. Fairy godmother, anyone?
“Snarf! Eddings is one of my guilty pleasures…”
“Snarf”?! Was that a sound effect to go along with my “laughs ruefully,” or are you going Thunder Cats on me? 😉
Have you read any of Steven Brust’s “Vlad Taltos” novels? The writing’s just as much fun as Eddings, and he’s got a better grasp on plotting and characterization.
“But I love being swept away by beautiful prose and epic settings and vibrant characters.”
Oh, I agree. I think we just may differ on what qualifies as “beautiful prose.” 🙂
“Snarf”?! Was that a sound effect to go along with my “laughs ruefully,” or are you going Thunder Cats on me? 😉
“Snarf” is from Thunder Cats?? Oh dear.
Have you read any of Steven Brust’s “Vlad Taltos” novels?
Actually I have read some Steven Brust some years back on the recommendation of a friend who really liked them. Dragaera or Dragona or something like that, right? I read several books in the (unending) series and then lost interest. I don’t think he’s one of my favs, mostly ’cause I can’t remember much about what I did read. Not a good sign. . . .
Although hey, didn’t he also write “Cowboy Feng’s Space Bar and Grill”? I seem to remember reading and liking that one.
Well, I’m sure “snarf” is from a great number of places. But it was the name of a character on Thunder Cats who said “snarf” all the time. 🙂
I enjoyed the early Taltos novels, and the later ones. I’ll agree the ones in the middle weren’t great, so if that’s where you lost interest, I can’t blame you. And yeah, he did write Cowboy Feng as well.
I guess one of the reasons I like his Taltos novels so much as he’s got a viciously sarcastic main character/narrator–which I often do as well in my writing–and because he managed to write vivid descriptions while still keeping the tone of the narration conversational–which I also often try to do. (Although I don’t often do it by writing in first person, as he did. I enjoy first-person narration, but it only works for certain types of stories.)
I enjoy first-person narration, but it only works for certain types of stories
Interesting, in that I was thinking on the nature of first-person myself of late. I’m finding that I sink into first person so much easier when I write than third. And I write better in first. Blink. Guess it makes sense. I’m unlikely to make a POV wobble in first, and I’m in someone’s head so I can submerge into, explore, and understand their personality better.
Heh. And again, I agree. 🙂
Under most circumstances, I prefer writing first person as well. I tend to do a lot of first-person/in-character narration for my White Wolf stuff any and every time I can get away with it. It’s easier, it’s more fun, and it produces better text.
With fiction, although I really enjoy writing first person (as I did way the heck back when with “Wanted”), I haven’t done any of my novels that way. As much as I like first person, all the stories I’ve come up with so far for my novels simply worked better in third.
(And no, I couldn’t really begin to tell you why they work better. I just know that that’s the way I felt about ’em when I was developing them. Writer’s intuition, I suppose.) 😉
Hey, Mousie-fangs, have you read any Laurell K. Hamilton? She’s the author of the “Anita Blake – Vampire Hunter” series and the “Meridith Gentry – Detective Faerie Princess” series. All of her stuff is first person from a female POV. They suck me in faster than a black hole on speed, but I always wonder how guys feel who read her stuff. Or if they do. Her stuff has made NYT Best Seller lists, so I have to assume guys are reading them too, but I do wonder . . .
Snarf was the name of that little comedic sidekick guy on the Thundercats.
Snarf is also the word for when you laugh while drinking milk and the milk comes out of your nose. I’ve had arguements as to weather it applies to other liquids. I think it does.
There’s your useless knowledge for today, I leave now.
Sank you.
Etymologies are of the coolness. I was aware of the “startled laughing” usage of the word (it’s how I use it), but until Mousie-fangs dropped mention of it, the Thundercats one was all news to me.
David Eddings and Robert Jordan fill a good three or four feet of my book shelf. But I keep them in the back row, hidden behind the books I’m still working on getting read.
Congrats!!!
I’m proud of you! Where are you going to submit it?
Bonnie
Re: Congrats!!!
Thanks!
I’ve still got to go through the whole feedback/revise/rewrite/polish stages before it’s ready to hit the streets. But I’m past the hardest “first draft completion” part.
After I run it through the critique/review gamut, I plan to submit it to my standard first tier markets: F&SF, Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, Weird Tales, etc. I might also send it out to mainstream markets that are amicable to genre influences since this one has some pretty strong mainstream/literary overtones.
I’ve got the whole marketing thing streamlined to a science. 🙂