Monday 10 May 2010

What, Huh? Who? Where? Why?

I wrote a novella.

I liked it too so I let a few of the nice people who read stuff for me and a nice publisher chap read it and they liked it. They also, to a man (and woman) said 'this is good, but it should be a novel, RJ'.

Of course, I knew they were talking rubbish. 'Cos if I'd wanted it to be a novel then it would be and it was not. It was a novella and that's just how it would stay. The story did what I wanted it to and adding any more would ruin it (it's art!!! /handstapledtoforehead). This decision had everything to do with serious critical thinking and nothing to do with the amount of work involved in finishing a novel* and the general slackness of the RJ. Mostly.

Probably.

Alright. It was entirely a decision based on 'can't be arsed, bored of this now and don't want to fail'.

And anyway, I was busy with other things. Being ill, (I've been doing this professionally for about four years now) and the fact that the radiant Mrs. RJ was pregnant (contrary to what people will tell you she found pregnancy to be an entirely unradiant experience.) and I would soon be a stay at home Dad. Rumour had it that small children would leave no room for writing.

So why on earth would I lumber myself with the idea of writing a novel that would probably never get published anyway when I had much more important things to be doing?

Well, the answer is I wouldn't. Because I am not stupid.

Except.

I had this idea about three months before young Rook was born. And thought it would work within the existing framework I had.

Not that the novella wasn't entirely complete and perfect and everything. Because it is. Well. Was.

But there was no harm in trying this idea out, was there.

Just to see?

And the 25,000 word novella 'Felt's Theorem' is now slightly longer at 28,000.

At chapter five.

Of thirteen.

And young Rooksley is five weeks old.

Which begs the question, what are you playing at, RJ?

I don't know. But I hope to blog word counts as I steal words between feeds and then blog the inevitable faff and disappointment of the submission process** when I finish the thing.

Hopefully that will be before Rook finishes university.

Fool that I am.





*Having written one already.
** See above.

2 comments:

  1. You realise that I'm now following you in my dog-obsessed persona instead of my avoid-writing persona, don't you?

    This is going to get very confusing....

    ReplyDelete
  2. heh, I wondered who you were. You're a Foo! :)

    ReplyDelete