135,000 words later ...
The draft, she is done. Hovering right at 115K after the 20K I cut a few weeks ago, it might not be the most beautiful thing just yet, but it is finished.
Now for the real work.
Earlier tonight, I was studying this High Tension Workshop website, wishing I could attend this May workshop in Austin. It looks like the perfect class to take in the midst of revisions. Alas, it is pricey, and does not seem to fit into my continuing ed budget this year, no matter which way I look at it--even standing on my head and crossing my eyes just right. But simply reading the class description is helpful. Look at this:
Building tension on every page--meaning tension in dialogue, action and exposition. Then tension in scenes. Next, tension in premise.
Those are words of wisdom for free.
Labels: Conferences and classes, Progress
posted by Julie Kibler @ 10:03 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Woohoo Jules! So very proud of you and I cannot wait to read it!
We were in the library yesterday when you finished . . . and you were so low-key about mentioning it that the reality didn't really sink in until just now. WOW your labor and delivery are over. Now you just gotta bring that baby up! I await my reading copy with bated breath (whatever the heck that means . . .). YAY YOU! YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU COULD!
135,000 words! Oh my goodness - that's practically 2 manuscripts for me. :) Congrats! I cracked up over the visual of you standing on your head.
And, like the tension idea, Cleaver says, "who wants what" should be on every page.
Jeeze. Them's a lot words! My drafts tend to run in the 70,000+ range! That's quite an accomplishment to stick with something that long!
Kathy and Carleen, I'm guessing (hoping?) the final draft will be around 100K. I'm sure you've never noticed I always have plenty to say. ;-) It's easier for me to come up with words than to cut them. Here's hoping there's a gem hiding amongst the riffraff.
Gail and Donna, thanks for being such great cheerleaders for the last several months! You guys are great. And Gail, I think writing the second to last chapter after the last chapter was a little anticlimactic even for me! Not to mention I had a whiny kid on the cellphone who wanted her mommy AT THAT VERY MOMENT. 8-)
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