Writing “I Knew Men” was so much fun! The epic story flowed from my brain to my fingers, and once again I was grateful that my parents gave me piano lessons. I can type very fast, to the tune of 261,007 words! What I didn’t know at the time is that the typical novel averages 80,000 – 100,000 words.
It took two years to complete my novel. At the time I had two or three part-time jobs, but being a night owl, caffeine drinker, and nicotine addict enabled me to add writing to the mix. Lying in bed after each late night session, I replayed what was just written and pondered what was going to happen next. Often, writing sessions were the best part of my day/night.
When I was done, my fictional characters had undertaken an amazing journey … but myself even more. I loved getting inside the heads of the characters I created. Made from thin air, they each became real as I typed, along with everything that happened to them.
Sometimes I became emotional about things that occurred. It would be hard to be around others in my “real life” during those times. I felt everything my characters experienced, including the worst kind of grief imaginable. My poor husband must have wondered why melancholy took hold of me every once in awhile!
BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?
I shared the original completed draft with my young adult daughter, Amanda. She liked it a lot. That encouraged me to think that maybe others might enjoy reading it, too … but was it good enough for publication? If it was only read by the people close to me, who love me and may not want to hurt my feelings if they thought it stunk, how would I ever know?
Through searching online for an editor to review my manuscript, I found my hero: Marg Gilks at Scripta Word Services. God love her, she read it — all of it! Marg’s solid, professional, encouraging suggestions gave me all I needed to go back to the drawing board. I started to think like a writer, not an overly stimulated epic story teller.
Marg said my story was a “diamond in the rough,” but the chances of having a story published of such length were slim to none. She suggested that what I had was not one, but two novels. “And,” she said, “you’ll know where to end one and start the other.”
She was right.
The other brilliant thing I read was Stephen King’s “On Writing.” Whether you like to write or not, it’s such a good read! For me, it taught me to simplify, simplify, simplify.
Between Marg and Steve, I was ready to go back to my book with a scalpel; no, make that a butcher knife.
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