Silence is OK


By Dennis Lantz


Every moment of every day I strive to appreciate life. Small moments, like strolling barefoot through wet grass, witnessing the movement of smoky gray clouds or taking notice of a million beautiful details lift the spirits and bring us closer to the four cornerstones of happiness… love, joy, peace and purpose. 

I haven’t posted anything for a few months, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working or productive.

I put my agent search on hold for a very important reason. It is difficult to get an agent to look at a first novel when it is 145,000 words. That is simply too long. Their immediate thought is that the writer lacks the editing skills to cut the excess baggage from the story. Even if the writing is good – and I don’t doubt that mine is – production costs alone merit fewer words. And I am certain that even by editing it again, it would not be possible to get down to 80,000 and develop characters or keep the plot as written.

But I have a plan.

So here is what I have been doing for the past three months. I sent out queries and, while I waited for responses, I worked on another story. All the while I was writing, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that I should break The Circus story into two or even three separate books. I contemplated ideas. Of course it isn’t as simple as just cutting it in half. There has to be a separate plot line for each story and each has to stand alone as better than the original.

There were pros and cons for doing this. I believe I could make the story better by enhancing some of the characters. I could throw in some new plot lines that I didn’t develop in the original. Overall, I had decent ideas in mind that would ‘fix’ some of the ‘weaker’ points of the story. I am not afraid of rewriting.

The cons would be that I wouldn’t be finished. In fact it would be a major re-write. I had sent queries out and told people I was finished… but now I wouldn’t be.

I put off making a decision. I sent out a second batch of queries and was waiting to hear a response. 

None came.

So I worked on the new story. I polished Zander and the Magic Scepter. I studied the idea of self-publishing. 

I watched an excellent series from Jane Friedman about the entire publishing industry. Christy and I bought it last year, but I didn’t start watching it until a couple of weeks ago. We got it through The Great Courses. I wish I had watched it before I wrote anything. The material Miss Friedman covers is vital. If you are a writer or even thinking about becoming one, I recommend this series.

So a couple of weeks ago, two thirds through the new story, I made the decision. I revisited my circus story and worked out the details to make it into multiple books. I knew that as soon as I took another look, I would suspend the writing and focus on the re-write. And that is exactly what happened.

In the past I mentioned I my intention to self-publish Zander and the Magic Scepter. Well, I decided to try the traditional publishing world first. I am working on a query and synopsis. I have searched for publishers who might be a good fit. So far I haven’t come up with any, but I have just started.

I will not rule out self-publishing, but it is a decision that must be made with a lot of analysis. According to Miss Friedman, when one self-publishes they must look at their primary goal.

Is it just to have something in print with your name on the cover?

Is it to further your career by building an audience?

Is it to prove the traditional publishers wrong and to show them that they rejected what is surely a bestseller?

Obviously I would like something in print with my name on it. I believe in my work enough that I do not doubt this will happen. I still see traditional publishing as a better option for me.

There is much that goes into making a career as a novelist or a writer. One needs to promote and sell and pitch and network. I am not afraid to do this, but traditional publishing offers a base of support that I want to have. I am not saying this is for everyone, but for me.

I have no desire to prove anyone wrong about rejection of my story. As you can see from this blog, I understand rejection. I am striving to get better. I will be better.

Patience, I tell myself. Two themes in my life. Be patient and do not quit.

Until next time,

Read, Learn, Live

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