Yesterday I emailed my manuscript to Sharyn, my supervisor, who will now send it off to the manuscript assessment service.
The assessment process will probably take about 6 to 8 weeks, so it should be ready for me to get into just after I come back from New York.
I'm pretty happy with Girl in the Shadows as it is at the moment, but I'm sure that the assessors will find plenty to pick on. I haven't read the manuscript as a whole since I rewrote the ending, for example, so they may find some disjoint between the beginning, middle and end.
I do know that both Mal and Tash, the main characters, go through a lot through the course of the narrative, so it's natural for them to change. (And isn't that what a good story should be about - how people change and what makes them change). But in any manuscript there's so much to think about - plot, character, style, structure and more - it's hard to keep a handle on everything.
What I'm looking for from the manuscript assessment process is some clear direction on where the manuscript can be improved and how much more work needs to be done before it's at publishing standard. If I can get that out of it, I'll be happy.
And now, I suppose, I should focus on writing the exegesis. I wonder how I'll motivate myself to get back into that?
20 August 2007
15 August 2007
Finishing deja vu
Yay! I've finished - again...
How many times have I 'finished' this manuscript? I've lost count. Maybe it's not finished until it's printed and in the stores. Which means, I may never finish...
Oh well, it's finished for now with a brand new ending & a modified beginning. The opening lines of the first chapter that I posted here months ago no longer exist. The manuscript is also longer - just over 44,500 words now. That makes it the longest manuscript I've written (not sure what that means, maybe I can focus for longer?)
Anyway, now, I hope, it's finally ready to send to the manuscript appraisal service. I may do one more read through before I send it. If I can do that this coming weekend then I can get Sharyn to send it off next week.
So it's done. Again. For now.
I suppose that means I should start working on the exegesis again. If only I could remember what I have to write in it...
How many times have I 'finished' this manuscript? I've lost count. Maybe it's not finished until it's printed and in the stores. Which means, I may never finish...
Oh well, it's finished for now with a brand new ending & a modified beginning. The opening lines of the first chapter that I posted here months ago no longer exist. The manuscript is also longer - just over 44,500 words now. That makes it the longest manuscript I've written (not sure what that means, maybe I can focus for longer?)
Anyway, now, I hope, it's finally ready to send to the manuscript appraisal service. I may do one more read through before I send it. If I can do that this coming weekend then I can get Sharyn to send it off next week.
So it's done. Again. For now.
I suppose that means I should start working on the exegesis again. If only I could remember what I have to write in it...
13 August 2007
Can I end the ending?
Endings are difficult. I spent another 5 or 6 hours on the ending on the weekend and it's still not done. Maybe I'm being impatient. But I really want the ending to work and the fact is that, after the climax, both Mal and Tash are different people; what they've been through is a life changing event.
For Tash it's life changing because she's left home and cut off all contact with her parents. They know she's alive and that's all. She's living with Katie, so isn't totally alone, but has suffered huge mental distress and is now adjusting to living life as an adult, even though she's only just turned 16.
Mal's life has changed, too. Perhaps not as dramatically as Tash's has changed, but certainly the dynamics between them are different. Mal usually followed Tash's lead. Now Mal has seen just how vulnerable Tash is, that she isn't the perfect girl (& she still doesn't know the whole truth yet).
Following the path of your characters' lives is a journey and you have to watch that you're allowing your characters to grow and letting them speak for themselves. When they've changed so much you have to really focus to tune into their matured voices. As usual, the best way to deal with it is to just shut up and listen.
I'm very close to ending Mal and Tash's story. But I can't rush it because I must be true to them and their experiences. I have to pay very close attention to make sure I get it right.
For Tash it's life changing because she's left home and cut off all contact with her parents. They know she's alive and that's all. She's living with Katie, so isn't totally alone, but has suffered huge mental distress and is now adjusting to living life as an adult, even though she's only just turned 16.
Mal's life has changed, too. Perhaps not as dramatically as Tash's has changed, but certainly the dynamics between them are different. Mal usually followed Tash's lead. Now Mal has seen just how vulnerable Tash is, that she isn't the perfect girl (& she still doesn't know the whole truth yet).
Following the path of your characters' lives is a journey and you have to watch that you're allowing your characters to grow and letting them speak for themselves. When they've changed so much you have to really focus to tune into their matured voices. As usual, the best way to deal with it is to just shut up and listen.
I'm very close to ending Mal and Tash's story. But I can't rush it because I must be true to them and their experiences. I have to pay very close attention to make sure I get it right.
6 August 2007
A new ending
I got my new 'climax' for Girl in the Shadows critiqued by the group last Friday, and as always they gave me really useful feedback.
On the weekend I used the feedback to edit the story climax then I got stuck into writing a new ending. Basically, now that the climax has changed, the entire ending has to be rewritten as well.
It's hard to do. I had to force myself to sit at the keyboard and get the words out. But after perservering I wrote about 2500 words, which I suppose is okay for a day's work.
It does drive me a bit crazy that every time I think this manuscript is just about done I find a whole heap more I can do to it. But I know this ending is much stronger because it brings the reader right into the action.
Last Friday we also had a visit from Leonie Tyle, the young adult fiction editor at UQP. She was fantastic (was even polite enough to say she remembered my manuscript Rat City that she rejected back in 2004). She also gave us all a chance to pitch our stories to her, which was a great opportunity. She was interested in all our work and asked some useful questions about our manuscripts. She was particularly interested in the character of Tash's father and the reasons why he did what he did to her.
In terms of what I wanted to achieve from this master's course (good feedback, a writing support group and access to industry professionals) I've already gained much more than I anticipated. It's really helped my development as a writer. And hopefully it will lead to publication (Leonie asked us all to send her our manuscripts when they're ready).
All in all, writing wise, it's been a good week.
On the weekend I used the feedback to edit the story climax then I got stuck into writing a new ending. Basically, now that the climax has changed, the entire ending has to be rewritten as well.
It's hard to do. I had to force myself to sit at the keyboard and get the words out. But after perservering I wrote about 2500 words, which I suppose is okay for a day's work.
It does drive me a bit crazy that every time I think this manuscript is just about done I find a whole heap more I can do to it. But I know this ending is much stronger because it brings the reader right into the action.
Last Friday we also had a visit from Leonie Tyle, the young adult fiction editor at UQP. She was fantastic (was even polite enough to say she remembered my manuscript Rat City that she rejected back in 2004). She also gave us all a chance to pitch our stories to her, which was a great opportunity. She was interested in all our work and asked some useful questions about our manuscripts. She was particularly interested in the character of Tash's father and the reasons why he did what he did to her.
In terms of what I wanted to achieve from this master's course (good feedback, a writing support group and access to industry professionals) I've already gained much more than I anticipated. It's really helped my development as a writer. And hopefully it will lead to publication (Leonie asked us all to send her our manuscripts when they're ready).
All in all, writing wise, it's been a good week.
31 July 2007
Great workshop & big (for me) breakthrough
Last Saturday (28 July) we had a fantastic workshop with writer Libby Gleeson.
Libby has had a long and distinguished career as a children's writer and her list includes award winning picture books, chapter books and young adult fiction. Her workshop had some great exercises that really helped me to focus on what was and wasn't working in my manuscript. And, as a result of one exercise, I was able to come up with a big breakthrough that will (hopefully) have a positive impact on my story.
I know when it comes to the tough bits in a story, I have a tendency to write around them. Even though it's fiction, it can be really confronting to tell the truth of a story. But Libby encouraged me to do just that.
So now I have the task of rewriting the manuscript from the climax scene (chapter 20) onwards. I've rewrittent the climax scene and posted it for critiquing this week. I'm looking forward to some excellent feedback to help me improve it.
The climax is not pleasant. In fact it's quite violent and scary. I don't know what potential publishers will think about that. But at the moment, that's not my concern. Telling the best story that I can, is.
And the positive thing is, Tash and Mal's friendship not only survives the climax, but becomes better for it. So in the end there will be a happy (ish) ending.
Libby has had a long and distinguished career as a children's writer and her list includes award winning picture books, chapter books and young adult fiction. Her workshop had some great exercises that really helped me to focus on what was and wasn't working in my manuscript. And, as a result of one exercise, I was able to come up with a big breakthrough that will (hopefully) have a positive impact on my story.
I know when it comes to the tough bits in a story, I have a tendency to write around them. Even though it's fiction, it can be really confronting to tell the truth of a story. But Libby encouraged me to do just that.
So now I have the task of rewriting the manuscript from the climax scene (chapter 20) onwards. I've rewrittent the climax scene and posted it for critiquing this week. I'm looking forward to some excellent feedback to help me improve it.
The climax is not pleasant. In fact it's quite violent and scary. I don't know what potential publishers will think about that. But at the moment, that's not my concern. Telling the best story that I can, is.
And the positive thing is, Tash and Mal's friendship not only survives the climax, but becomes better for it. So in the end there will be a happy (ish) ending.
23 July 2007
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite
I've been going through Sharyn's 'to-do' list for my manuscript and I did a whole heap of writing on the weekend. I think it's going okay.
Alot of it is going back in and putting in 'clues'. Well, not so much clues as bits of information that add to the story so that there is more of a consistent build up to the climax.
That's where having an independent person reading your manuscript is so helpful - they can see the bits that you're missing; the bits that you've assumed people will work out (often because they were actually in earlier drafts and you've since cut them out!)
One of the things Sharyn and Viv picked up on was that I had virtually no physical description of the main characters. That was something I had included in earlier drafts but had gradually cut out so there was none left (because of course I know what they look like!).
But it's a bit tricky for me because I hate large hunks of description, especially physical description. I prefer a lighter touch so the reader can picture their own version of the character in their head.
Hopefully with this last rewrite I've got the balance right. If not I'm sure the manuscript assessor will tell me :)
Alot of it is going back in and putting in 'clues'. Well, not so much clues as bits of information that add to the story so that there is more of a consistent build up to the climax.
That's where having an independent person reading your manuscript is so helpful - they can see the bits that you're missing; the bits that you've assumed people will work out (often because they were actually in earlier drafts and you've since cut them out!)
One of the things Sharyn and Viv picked up on was that I had virtually no physical description of the main characters. That was something I had included in earlier drafts but had gradually cut out so there was none left (because of course I know what they look like!).
But it's a bit tricky for me because I hate large hunks of description, especially physical description. I prefer a lighter touch so the reader can picture their own version of the character in their head.
Hopefully with this last rewrite I've got the balance right. If not I'm sure the manuscript assessor will tell me :)
16 July 2007
Supervisors' feedback
Sharyn (my main supervisor) and assistant supervisor Viv have both read the latest version of Girl in the Shadows and given feedback.
They were very encouraging and Sharyn feels it's almost there. But she still gave me a list of things to work on before I send it off for manuscript appraisal!
I started on the list this weekend and I think it should only take me a couple more weekends of work to get it ready for the manuscript appraisal. Most of the stuff is pretty minor, but that doesn't mean it's not tricky. Sometimes just trying to find a place to stick a sentence can be a minefield.
I'm really at the stage now where it's just tidying things up. Putting in pieces of information to make it all flow (sometimes I forget to tell the reader stuff I know) and, in some ways, laying those clues that make it all make sense in the end.
There are a couple things on the suggestion list that I'm not going to change, though. Like Tash's diary entries. I realise they're a bit experimental but I think the way she writes them is integral to her character. I don't want to change them unless I'm forced to (eg someone dangles a million dollar contract in front of me...). Even then I reckon I might not change them.
So I'm aiming to have it ready to send to the manuscript appraisal service by the end of this month. that gives me 2 weeks. No worries!
They were very encouraging and Sharyn feels it's almost there. But she still gave me a list of things to work on before I send it off for manuscript appraisal!
I started on the list this weekend and I think it should only take me a couple more weekends of work to get it ready for the manuscript appraisal. Most of the stuff is pretty minor, but that doesn't mean it's not tricky. Sometimes just trying to find a place to stick a sentence can be a minefield.
I'm really at the stage now where it's just tidying things up. Putting in pieces of information to make it all flow (sometimes I forget to tell the reader stuff I know) and, in some ways, laying those clues that make it all make sense in the end.
There are a couple things on the suggestion list that I'm not going to change, though. Like Tash's diary entries. I realise they're a bit experimental but I think the way she writes them is integral to her character. I don't want to change them unless I'm forced to (eg someone dangles a million dollar contract in front of me...). Even then I reckon I might not change them.
So I'm aiming to have it ready to send to the manuscript appraisal service by the end of this month. that gives me 2 weeks. No worries!
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