I wanted to write some blog posts about The Great Lenore, leading up to its release on June 15. But I realized that I have no clue what anyone wants to know. And to be quite honest, I have no clue what I might pull up to say.
I know how we can find out what I might pull up to say, however...
From today (June 6, 2011) to the eve of publication (June 14, 2011), ask any questions you want in the 'Comments' section of this post. At the end of each day (or sooner, if I can), I will answer whatever questions you have.
Maybe no one has any questions. Maybe the basement of this post will remain empty. We'll see.
But if you think of something, ask whatever you want - about the creation of the book, the themes of the book, the characters in the book, the publication process, the journey, the post-publication plans, the anything-else-you-think-of (no matter how odd or obscure!).
In the meantime, share the link to this post.
And make sure you check out details on the three contests currently in circulation for free copies of The Great Lenore!
Play nice and share with others
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I DO want to ask questions, but, at the same time, I want to read the book without background knowledge, and just take it in. I'll probably hit you up with a lot of questions afterward..lol
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paige, but how about a synopsis? I'd like to read that in one of your posts. Please forgive me if you've done that already. I was not networking for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind me asking multiple questions. If you don't want to answer them all just pick and choose which are most appealing to you. I've been thinking about what to ask you for a couple of days because I wanted to ask you quality questions. Whatever provides the most quality answers do that, please.
ReplyDeleteWhat was your biggest discouragement during the writing process of THE GREAT LENORE?
What was the one most satisfying moment during the writing process of LENORE? I feel like I should clarify this question: I don't mean satisfying like you finished the first draft, or arrived at a place where you knew the story was ready for others to read. But while writing this story what experience satisfied you the most?
Do you have any plans do revisit any of the characters? I mentioned in my review that I would love to read a story about Maxwell. *hint hint*
Was it your intention to have Richard annoy the reader somewhat? I kind of get the feeling you did. Maybe it was just me. He may not have annoyed anyone else. Ha.
What's one thing that the story of THE GREAT LENORE did that impacted you the most as a writer, storyteller, and reader?
Mark, these are awesome questions. We'll see what we get to...
ReplyDelete1) What was the biggest discouragement during the writing process of LENORE?
I lost the manuscript for over two months. I don't mean that I physically lost it, but I completely stopped writing. It was not a conscious decision - it just sort of happened, and before I knew it, two months had passed. When I picked up the manuscript again, I could not find the thread of the story.
At that point, I was seven chapters into the first draft (out of what I already knew would be nine chapters). But for about a month and a half, I could not write chapters 8 and 9. I tried every day, but nothing worked out right. Everything I wrote got thrown away. (If you look at the start of Chapter 8, you'll see an indication of this portion of the writing process.) And then...one day...everything clicked. I sat down and - in 48 hours - wrote all of chapters 8 and 9. Nearly 10,000 words. I hardly slept during those days (which was a mistake at the time, because at the end of those 48 hours I was leaving to drive to California - a 24 hour drive), but I couldn't stop. The entire end of the story poured out of me, and there it was.
Of course, I am usually a meticulous writer. So those last two chapters ended up requiring a lot more editing than anything else had. But they were there - complete, and in existence. And with the struggle those two chapters had been, that was a big step.
2) What was the most satisfying point during the writing process of LENORE?
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question. I hadn't thought of that before, but looking back...I would have to say it was returning to the manuscript after those couple months away from it. And reading the first 7 chapters and realizing, "Okay, all of this is raw. It still needs work. But the seeds (and even the shoots) of a really, really good project are there. If I can keep this up for chapters 8 and 9, I could have something truly worth sharing." Of course, this realization was quickly followed by the realization that chapters 8 and 9 would not come easily, but it was a nice feeling while it lasted.
3) Do I have plans to revisit any of the characters?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like some people absolutely love Maxwell. It seems like others absolutely hate him. It has been suggested by more than one person that Maxwell deserves his own book. This might be true - but I'm not sure that he will ever get one. What I do know is that he will certainly get his own story (maybe more than one). When? I'm not sure. But he will appear on paper again - wherever he is in his life at that point.
4) Was it my intention for Richard (the narrator) to annoy the reader?
ReplyDeleteHa, I love that you asked this - especially because of the way in which he seemed to annoy you so much. Honestly, I had no visions or intentions for the ways in which the different characters would make the readers feel. I spent several months - before I began writing the first draft - getting to know all the characters, and then I let them come alive exactly as they were. I've had some people who loved Richard. I've had some people who hated Maxwell. I've had plenty of people who loved Maxwell. And of course, you were annoyed by Richard!
I think it's natural for each reader to react to a character in a different manner.
I also think it's natural for Richard to annoy some people. It's the same thing with Carraway in THE GREAT GATSBY. Or with Papen in THE SECRET HISTORY. These narrators who are outsiders in the world of the story walk a tightrope of being involved and staying out of things - of voicing their opinions while trying to not be too opinionated - and this lack of an ability to (or inclination to) simply "be a man and take charge" can be downright flabbergasting at times!
But I feel like Richard is who he is. And it's natural for some people to like him, and it's natural for some people to be annoyed by him...and it's probably natural for Richard to not care much what his readers think of him, one way or the other!
5) What's one thing that the story of THE GREAT LENORE did that impacted me the most as a writer, storyteller, and reader?
ReplyDeleteLooking at this book from the standpoint of "a reader," I feel that THE GREAT LENORE has helped me to appreciate beauty - and to appreciate its danger. To appreciate dreams - and to appreciate their volatility. And to appreciate life - and to appreciate its fragility.
Em-Musing: I forgot to get back to you on here; in answer to your question, you can find a synopsis on the "Lenore" tab, up at the top!
ReplyDeleteHaving read your book, and being amid my first round of revisions, I'm curious how your word count changed from draft to draft. One of the things I noticed early in your ARC was that every word counted. You said so much in what felt like very little. I'm curious what the actual numbers are.
ReplyDeletePaul - first off, that's a great compliment. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteSecondly...
Q: How much did the word count change throughout the drafts?
Tough to say. Because of the broad space of time over which revisions occurred (roughly two years), the word count changed a lot. I think I was at 55,000 after the first draft. I probably moved as high as 60,000 in early revisions (adding things onto the manuscript). I think I was at 48,000 when I landed my first agent. I went as low as 45,000 trying to sharpen things up when I began to approach agents again. And after receiving suggestions and insight from all these agents the second time around, I bumped back up to about 53,000. I think the final count is 51,000 - so...just over 90% of the original length (which is pretty much standard). But it fluctuated a lot.
I think there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to "how much you should cut" or "what you should add." For me, it came down to "what was right." And I think that's the way it should be with every writer; and of course, the longer you do it, the easier this will be to discern!