Traitor is finished. Again. Or, since I changed the name after beginning this revsion, perhaps for the first time. In any case, it is done. I finished it around 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Here are some loathsome statistics.
Final word count: 136,334-words
Goal word count: 130,000-words (or less)
Original word count: unknown (I would have to type it into the computer)
Highest word count: 234,000-words
Word count last time submitted to an agent: 198,000-words
Word count after getting help from Evil Editor Minions: 157,233-words
Year Swords of Fire: Book I began: 1977
Year Swords of Fire: Book I first submitted for publication: fall of 1981
Publisher receiving submission: Del-Rey (with letter from friend of Lester Del-Rey)
First Rejection Received: December of 1982
Number of "Major" rewrites: at least 10
Percentage of Readers who liked reading Book I (any version): 80%
Percentage of Agents/Editors who liked Book I (any version): 0%
Number in Khirsha's family (living and dead): 6,754
Number of Family Members with Unique Name: 6,754
I had to add that last. It took me years to name everyone. Exhausting work. And fairly pointless, too. But no less so than assigning each and every one of those 6,754 people a home for each year of their life, determining the year and day they were born, and the same for those who died, and figuring out when each of the twenty-nine villages came into being, and who founded them, and which line everyone belongs to, and how good each was with the sword, and when and where each served their military duty. (Actually, I haven't finished the military duty portion. No bragging rights there, I'm afraid.)
But it's done. I'm over budget on word count, but not by much. I'm thinking of going with this version and leaving the word count as it is. Dropping 21,000-words meant dropping some important characters and some important scenes. I don't know if I have it in me to do any more cutting. What is needed now is for me (or someone else) to step back and read the story as a story. Does it still flow? Are there unanswered - or foolishly answered - questions? Does it hold the reader to the end? Does the ending satisfy?
It's too soon for me to do all of that. I'm still trying to get out of the forest. But I have no reader for it, so it'll have to be me, I'm afraid. Then I get to start my new project.
The query letter.
I've been a reader only at Evil Editor's blog since getting into this rewrite. Probably thinks I bailed. Truth is, most of what needs critiquing are query letters - and I haven't a clue about those, so I say nothing.
Well, I can't get hammered because alcohol will kill me. So, I guess it's a can of Pepsi with some popcorn from a grocery store.
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Sailors on the Sea
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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4 comments:
Congratulations, Bevie!
Hope you enjoy your well earned Pepsi and popcorn.
Thanks, Fairy.
Told you I'd get it done. (After you told me not to quit when I was so low. Thank you for supporting me.)
First I have to have lunch. Spouse is home for about an hour and we're having pot pies. Spouse gets chicken. I get the turkey.
Hope there's no message in that. [smiles]
I had to come over here for the good news. That's great, Bevie! Congratulations. Do we get to see the query over on Evil Editor?? :)
The query should show up at Evil Editor before May.
Not sure how it will be received. I visit the blog often, but I don't comment anymore. Too intimidated. But E.E. may think I bailed on him.
Wouldn't do that. But I will hunker down.
Meanwhile, I had my pop and popcorn. Didn't have Pepsi. Forgot Spouse had bought a couple of plastic bottles of Dad's Root Beer. I like the old ones. Barq's should be called Barf's. But Dad's is good. Hires and A&W, too.
You probably don't know any of those root beers. They may all be local brands.
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