Whooohooo! I just completed the "Kemp Sweep" of Eternal Knight. This sweep was based on a comprehensive critique of the novel by my friend Kemp. Someday, after the novel has been published, I'll share his critique with you. I cannot emphasize enough how important good critique partners are to the writing process.
What's next? Right now my wife is reading the novel. I'll call this the Wife Sweep. Helen is looking for copy editing errors and areas where a reader might want more clarity. The Wife Sweep will not take long and will result in a very clean final manuscript.
All done? Not quite. I've decided to make one significant (but not awfully difficult) change to the manuscript. I'm gong to change Hadde's (my protagonist) age from twenty-four to seventeen. Why make such a change?
1) It will add more tension to the novel. Hadde will go from experienced veteran to young adult. When she makes it to Salador the culture clash will be much greater due to her youth. She will also not have the veteran confidence to deal with some of the conflicts she finds herself in.
2) It will allow me to promote the book as a young adult fantasy novel. I have become convinced that a YA fantasy with a strong female protagonist will be a stronger sell than a straight forward fantasy.
How long will these revisions take? Not long. Perphaps two weeks to make revisions, a week to do one final sweep, and one week to prep my queries and launch them into the world. It's getting close!
I have become convinced that a YA fantasy with a strong female protagonist will be a stronger sell than a straight forward fantasy.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Clever.
Thinking like a writer is only half the battle. I have to think like a businessperson as well. It does me no good to write a novel I can't get published. I think the change will boost my odds greatly.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a solid battle-plan. YA fantasy does seem to be doing better than traditional fantasy right now. I switched the target audience on mine for the same reason. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on sorting the diamonds from the rough in my notes. I can't wait to see the finished product - preferably at my local bookstore!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are making some nice progress. Keep it up! the age change is exciting. Sometimes details like this can really activate a character.
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