After I got a bit of distance on A BOY FROM NORRU, I brought the manuscript to fresh eyes. I received incredibly valuable feedback that has helped me to reshape the opening chapter. Now, it feels much stronger, especially in the first 500 words. This is the most crucial section of a manuscript when querying agents; if you don’t impress an agent in those first two pages, there’s little chance of them reading on. As such, I feel more confident about sending out further queries. I plan on querying very selectively over the course of the next month. And I’ll continue searching for ways to improve upon the manuscript, even though it feels quite polished to me.
I’ve been reading a lot of big names in epic fantasy lately, authors that I’ve put off reading for far too long. The Blade Itself was phenomenal and contained some of my favorite characters in all of fiction, namely Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta. Oh man, he is deliciously messed up. I’m also most of the way through The Name of the Wind, which reminds me in many ways of LeGuin’s Earthsea series. I haven’t done any research, but I have confidence that this was a direct inspiration for Rothfuss. Other names I plan to read in the coming weeks are Jemisin, McCaffrey, Jordan, Asimov, and Clarke. Again, criminal that I don’t already have these names under my belt. But ugh, there’s so much to read! And so much to write.
The beauty is, though, I get to experience the varied magics that each of the greats in the genre possess. I get to experience them for the very first time. I’m sure when I’m older, I’ll envy my younger self that privilege. So for that reason, I refuse to blast through them too quickly. I’ll take my time and enjoy the art.
Science fiction and fantasy are awesome.
In terms of my own writing, I feel it’s time for me to begin work on another manuscript. I desperately need to reenter the process of churning out new words. I’ve been missing that for too long. While this blog provides a good excuse for me to regularly create new content (rather than simply revise the old), it’s not enough to sate the creative hunger. Thus, I’ve begun writing the sequel to A BOY FROM NORRU.
The working title is A BOY FROM OSTORA. Although the first book does work as a standalone novel, I do imagine it as a series. And while there’s no chance of me selling the sequel without first selling the original, I think writing a sequel will be a good exercise for me. It’s something I’ve never done before. And who knows, maybe having an initial draft of the sequel will inform my revisions on its predecessor. Or, maybe having a draft of a sequel will help me sell the series. Only time will tell. But for now, my passions lie with this story, so I’ll continue working on it.
I’m still doing worldbuilding and outlining while I feel out these first couple chapters, so I probably won’t be in the full swing of drafting until later this week.
Fortunately, I’m privileged to have some time away from work (the kind of work that pays the bills, that is) in order to pursue all this writing and reading. Additionally, I’ve been at the gym every day, which has been huge for my mental health. I’m getting more work lined up right now, but I’ll enjoy this freedom to pursue my passions while I have it.
In the few hours of relaxation I’m giving myself every day, I’ve been watching science fiction and fantasy movies that I’ve put off watching, too. For example, I’d never seen Alien, nor The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Both were fantastic. Some other movies I’ve got on my list are: The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest, Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max, Waterworld, and Aliens. With an ‘s.’
Oh, and I’m going to a Renaissance festival in a couple weeks. Every second of my time is spent towards some sort of SF/F endeavor, and I’m not complaining.
– AJG
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