I was logged in after talking to solvey (he of the maggot farm blog here), so I thought: 'Why not?'
Solvey has just revised the prologue and first three chapters of my latest work.
We had a great conversation, not just about that, but it revolved around it. What surprised me was how much we agreed on what was wrong: very little, in fact, in both our eyes and more or less the same points gave us problems. But only one or two points - a point of order concerning one sentence, and a dip in the narrative that could have been lifted by more of a show, and a bit less of the tell.
Of course, there may be more to come when solvey reads it over some more. But he liked it, and said so without any prompting - and the absence of any 'at first glance' crit-problems gives me great cause to hope I've got it right. First impressions are usually the best ones - solvey's more than most. He wasn't lead reviewer at litopia for nothing. A good first pass by solvey is as good as it gets.
I'm not out of the woods, though: Noel the Ultimate Proofreader has his copy, too.
Two reviews by two professionals. See, I do take advice: I'm not writing it on my own, after all!
Only a few chapters more and I'll be sending it off. Not quite the end of January, but setting deadlines is a must. I got this far doing it.
Another month should see at least two chapters. At that point we will talk about proposals - even if it's to say 'Not yet.'
But I do feel that I'm in there pitching for real now.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Might be worth noting that what I liked most was the subtle tone. It takes real dedication and a surgeon's touch to create such a unique blend of emotional stimulae.
Reminded me of a fine wine or rich coffee. A victory for persistence and study I'd say! Looking forward to more ..!
Cheers, mate!
It was a long time coming - at least for me. Writing the new beginning to Sword gave me a different perspective on writing: all the planning (which I'd never done before) created a fertile backdrop. I understand, now, that if you don't know what you're going to write about, you're probably not going to write it as well as you can. Lots of dialogue in chapters four and five coming up and slipping into the narrative, leading up to a chapter six that will determine my ability to write it all. A month to write these three. Maybe less... :-)
Post a Comment