So close but not quite there

The few readers of this site may know that I’ve been trying to get a book published since I was 18. The first book I tried with was the first draft of “Elseworld.” The first draft, looking back now, had lots of issues. There were lots of info dumps (still working on cutting those down), and too many characters and subplots.

I rewrote Elseworld multiple times, then started on a second book. Then a third, and now have six. The second, “The Garden of Abel” is now on the site. It is the shortest of my works, so I figured I could try to upload it here to see if it gets any traction. The length makes it a tougher sell for traditional publishers.

I recently rewrote my third book, the fourth needs a rewrite. The fifth is my favourite and the first 1,000 words of the sixth became my first published short story.

I’ve been able to get three more short stories and a poem published since, but these works were meant to serve another purpose. Doing short stories was an exercise to help my pacing, which was pointed out as a weakness by three different agents (who read parts of my book but declined taking it on).

So, I got promising feedback on my fifth book recently, and at first, it seemed like I finally cracked the code.

Then, I get feedback I’m more used to getting.

So again, something is not quite right to get it to the next stage. I was pretty livid when I read this. However, I’m trying to look on the bright side. The pacing was “nicely done” according to this agent. That gives me some hope that the book’s pacing doesn’t have to be a roadblock for any agent, and maybe the same could be said for other works. Perhaps there is a chance that I find the right agent, and don’t have to rewrite all of my books (again).

 

Back to it

I’m about 1/4 of the way through an edit of “Elseworld” at this time. My last round of beta feedback said it would benefit from a change in structure since it has a slow start. Rereading so far makes me think that it could work as is, but I’m biased of course.

I’ve been reconnecting with the world, the characters, and loving the journey. I sent “Elseworld” to one agent recently, after they said they liked my writing style but didn’t like the concept for “Hazard.” Worst case scenario, maybe she can weigh in on the pacing and let me know if that is still an issue.

 

Back to Elseworld

Since finishing a draft of “Hazard” about a month ago I have been focused on sending out queries for it. Now I’m back to an edit of “Elseworld.”

I wrote my first draft of “Elseworld” around 2010, making it my first completed full-length novel. I wrote a previous book (more of a novella) called “Camp Escapade” but the less people that read that one the better.

Since my first draft of “Elseworld” I’ve rewritten it at least five times; cutting characters, cutting subplots, changing the ending etc.

My last round of beta feedback led to suggestions for another rewrite, and maybe I’ll need to take that on. I had an agent reject “Hazard” due to the concept, but they said they liked my writing style and are open to other projects. I sent “Elseworld” along and will see what they think.

Onwards and upwards.

 

Some encouragement

Got another book query rejection today, but the agent actually took the time to personalize her rejection (these are the things you have to be thankful for on the hunt). The concept didn’t hook her but she said my “writing style is great” and I can query another book.

I have reached out to see what an appropriate time frame for the second query is, but I’ll likely try an “Elseworld” query next. I also thought of “Memory Catcher” but I’m not sure if the first draft is ready for that scrutiny yet.

Alive Update

I’m 49,000 words into Alive now. I’ve been able to stick to 1000 words daily most of the days since I set that goal. Even though I have fallen off some days I still have got more writing done than if I was aiming for 500 words, which was the goal. I’m still on track for a draft by year-end. Afterwards, I may start with another project that’s been on my mind for a little bit. Maybe I’ll tackle the new idea as a short story first.

Trad Update

I haven’t written much of Alive since my last post, mainly due to my Trad involvements.  I was editing two short stories for Trad’s Creator Camp, where we take short stories from high school students and publish them on the site.

Creation Camp Archives – Trad Magazine

The stories I helped edit were “Metalface” and “From somebody putting something down on paper.”

Meanwhile, I also worked on a short story for Trad that I will receive feedback on soon. So there hasn’t been much Alive writing in the past little bit, but I am aiming to get back to 500, starting tonight.

Alive: Part I likely won’t be finished by year-end, instead I am aiming for March 2022.

Writing updates

I’ve been working as a “mentor” for a creator camp, where “mentees” submit their short stories for review with Trad. The polished short stories will be posted on Trad’s website and I’ll share the ones from my mentees when they are posted (likely in October). I haven’t been writing as much but between the camp and working full-time, plus getting back to the gym, I’ve been feeling a bit tired come end of day.

However, I wrote another 1,500 words of Alive have come together since my last blog post. My pace is slower than intended, but that is the purpose of setting a goal. Even if I fall a bit short, I can still make progress.

Matrix Resurrections

Update: Again, making a commitment to blog more often. The Alive rewrite is still trucking along at 26,000 words.

In the meantime, the trailer for Matrix: Resurrections dropped.

The Matrix is one of my favourite films of all time and I am in the camp that did not hate the sequels. I don’t think they’re as good as the first but I can still watch them.

There isn’t too much info about the plot synopsis. All we know is it takes place after the first trilogy.

From what we see here it looks like Neo is back in the Matrix, along with other older characters like Trinity. Apparently they’ve all been in this new Matrix for a while, with little recollection of their old lives. Then Morpheus (from what I have read he dies in a related online game after Matrix 3) or Morpheus’ homage frees him.

Firstly, I loved the references to the first film. The blue pills, the black cat, Alice in Wonderland. The song was perfect too.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was amazing in Watchmen so I’m excited to see what he does with this role. Keanu Reeves has also grown as an actor since The Matrix and while he might not compete with Yahya as an actor, John Wick has proved he can still carry a film. Then there is Carrie Anne Moss, who has been amazing in everything I’ve seen her in since (House of Cards and Iron Fist).

My only real concerns are the action sequences. The Matrix has always used CGI and lots of it. However, I feel like there are scenes from the original trilogy that look less CGI than what I’ve seen in this film. Plus, the release date isn’t too far off, so there isn’t that much time to clean it up. However, let me reserve some judgment on that until I see it. And I do plan to see it in theatres depending on how bad COVID-19 rates are in my city.

I felt the last line of the trailer was a bit on the nose, but I am excited to see Jonathan Groff in a role outside of Mindhunter.

Update on Alive Rewrite

I’m about 50 pages or 13,000 words into the rewrite of Alive at this point. I fell off writing 500 words a day for the past few weeks as I started a new job and interviewed for another. The short story acceptance I received yesterday got me motivated to get back to writing.

For the past few days I’ve just been doing a page a day, instead of the 500 words. One page is usually around 200 words instead, so progress is slower now but I figured that starting with a page is better than doing none if 500 seems too daunting.

I also want to stick to my writing schedule over the weekend as well. I find that after years without working full-time, I am rehoning my focus and getting back to the best version of myself.

COVID has been pretty productive for me but I can still make it better.