There comes a time, when one has to choose--do I give in and eat the Cheez-Its? Or do I abstain?
...Pardon, O Readers. That was completely uncalled for and spontaneously random. I went back to my roots...
Anyway, let's get down to business.
Recently I have been pondering much as to the outcome of this novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo: the Book of Shaldu. Revision has teamed up with Procrastination, and alas--they are winning! I have not written or revised in over a week--perhaps approaching two weeks.
But I have been wondering...what if the Book of Shaldu isn't really finished yet? What if this 50k chunk of words I have is not yet done...what if it is Part One?
Yeah. I rhymed there. Not on purpose, mind you--I like to think of myself as a poetic writer. >_>
Now, there are several reasons I came to this conclusion. What's that? The conclusion that my story might not be done, of course. Weren't you listening? Stay on track--I do. Flow'st and other such delightful personifications. :)
Heh, aye. There's a list coming up, folks. Brace yourselves!
1) The Word Count
When I finished the Book of Shaldu, it was hanging around a proud count of around 50,000 words. In print length, that tallies up to around 200 pages.
Now, when I take a look at some publishers (not all, mind you), they require higher word counts than the one I have. Marcher Lord Press is asking 65K or higher. Flaming Pen Press refuses anything below 60,000 words. The process of revision will heighten the word count, yes, but I doubt it will increase it more than 5,000 words. Of course, I could surprise myself--but the Book of Shaldu will never be a 'long' book. And I rather want to publish a 'long' book. Short books always seem so...short. Disappointingly short.
So if I wish to make some of the requirements in word counts for some publishers, I must make the Book of Shaldu longer.
2) The Ending
I ended the Book of Shaldu on a very, very unsatisfying note. For the reader. ;) It was the extreme mother of all cliffhangers. So, to please the reader, I might have to extend the ending.
But that's not the only thing about the ending. Overall, the ending didn't seem like an ending. It left you at the lowest of lows with a nod to despair. There was not any resolution to the ending.
The ending was also very...dark. I reminded the readers of the Light that still shone in a dark place, but at the end I made all of the reader's worst fears come true...and then pulled the curtain on them. THE END! *Bwahaha* They would probably think that I was sitting on my computer chuckling in evil delight at the thought of their torture...Oh wait...uh...forget I said anything.
So the ending was dark--and it was unsatisfying, without resolution. I've read reviews of certain books before where the author did that very thing. The readers all complained about it. And gave it bad ratings...
3) The Tale
Overall, the tale was short. Unsatisfyingly so. The tale didn't seem like a tale. It was a story--but for all of the epicness I tried to integrate into the novel, it had not the size for it. It didn't have the expansion I wanted. And some of the characters didn't get enough screen time to fully develop them. The remedy? A longer novel. More plot. More screen time, more expansion--more delving into the ancient history of Arowdae I hope to unveil.
4) The Problem
But there is cons to this plan. The problem is this: am I making this up just so I can get writing again? I love the actual writing process. I do everything in my power to get back to the writing process, the writing of a tale. I'm addicted to it. So...would I persuade myself to make the Book of Shaldu longer just so I can put off revision for a while longer? *cough* You know what that is called? Procrastination.
So what say you, readers? I'm asking you. What do all of you experienced writers out there think? To expand or not to expand? To write or not to write? To revise or not to revise?
The floor is yours. Don't get eaten.
Upcoming stuffs:
-Reviews. Lots of 'em.
-Do I hear an echo? Hmmm...could it be saying give a day? No, wait, that's not what it says...stay away? No...Can you guess?
-A Post. ;)
