Long enough to develop the characters and ideas without it becoming repetitive or tedious. So it varies by genre, but for my patience level something in the range of 70-100k words is good. Too short and one begins to feel that too much has been omitted; too long and who has time for that. (Someone tell Neal Stephenson.)
Happy bookiversary to my debut! One year later and it's sold reasonably well, picked up some award noms, and garnered love from a lot of people. And I've learned a lot about writing, publishing, marketing...myself, maybe.
If you want a copy, find it here: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p Or I have a few copies--$17 each, send me a msg or an email (ehlupton at gmail).
Dionysus in Wisconsin won third place at the New England Romance Writers Readers' Choice awards in the fantasy/paranormal category. I am definitely going to be cool about this and not use it as an excuse to call myself an AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR at every turn because that would be obnoxious.
Dionysus in Wisconsin has also been shortlisted for the New England Romance Writers Readers' Choice Award in the paranormal/fantasy/scifi/time travel category! I didn't get a chance to make a graphic specifically for this one, but I'm excited--being shortlisted means it went up against more traditional M/F romances and won!
This is what happens when I don't get sick before an awards announcement: I watch a bunch of videos about graphic design, then forget them all and make this!
Dionysus in Wisconsin is a finalist in the fantasy/scifi category! So if you were putting it off because you don't read romance novels, never fear: it's also a fantasy.
This is what happens when I don't get sick before an awards announcement: I watch a bunch of videos about graphic design, then forget them all and make this!
Dionysus in Wisconsin is a finalist in the fantasy/scifi category! So if you were putting it off because you don't read romance novels, never fear: it's also a fantasy.
A few weeks ago the 6yo heard "Solidarity Forever" (we were listening to Pete Seeger songs on shuffle) and I had to explain unions. IDK if he got it, but when we reread "Click, Clack, Moo" at his little bro's request, I said, "So this is how a union works," and he said "OH!"
Then b/c of a Tom Lehrer song intro, I had to try to explain who Malcolm X was.
At this point, Black Sabbath is the least troublesome band he listens to. Someone tell Tipper. Folk music has radicalized my kid.
Ran 3:25:xx for 27k at the Tour du Dodge. There was a little graupel. It's the end of April and it's barely 40 degrees. Course was nice, rolling hills (2k feet of climb) and wide grassy trails. I'm gonna be sore AF tomorrow.
@crcollins@pretensesoup I think themes are more important for critics and scholars than for many of the people doing the work of writing.
For a writer, thinking about themes may be useful, or it may be counterproductive, like the joke about tying a centipede in knots by asking what order it moves its feet.
I agree with this. They just happened for me. I know I have talked with other writer friends about the themes that appear in our work repeatedly.
The only advice I have ever gotten on themes that made sense was it is good to recognize what themes that show up in writing because they are the things that resonate with your regular readers.
Haven't mentioned this for a bit, but if you like urban fantasy novels with gay romance in them that are set in 1969, a/ you have very specific taste, and b/ I have a book for you. Now with the added cred of being shortlisted for a Lammy in gay romance.
Book 2 in the series is also out, with book 3 coming in October.
#writersCoffeeClub 4/17: What genre(s) would you be terrible at writing?
I actually think most genres can be learned, and I like how romance can be blended up with most fiction genres.
On the other hand, I'm not interested in: nonfiction, Christian anything, hard scifi, Agatha Christie-style mysteries, books where people have no redeeming characteristics and just yell at each other, lots of racism/sexism, and serial killers.
Essentially I need a happy ending to make it worthwhile for me.
#WritersCoffeeClub 4/13 Which "unfilmable" novel has worked best on screen?
I'm not a good person to ask about movies, but the film of Tristram Shandy (apparently released in some places as A Cock and Bull Story) was very good.
@pretensesoup I don't generally write in drafts—each day starts by editing the previous day's work (which usually grows a bit) so by the time the MS is finished it's already polished. If I have to go back and revise, usually it's to add stuff (having to cut is an admission I screwed up badly).
"I learned three things in Zurich during the war. I wrote them down. Firstly, you’re either a revolutionary or you’re not, and if you’re not you might as well be an artist as anything else. Secondly, if you can’t be an artist, you might as well be a revolutionary... I forget the third thing." (From Travesties, by Tom Stoppard)