Well it is 2008 and I have started it as I mean to go on, new book, 6,000 words a month I feel is a reasonable target, and so far I am sticking to it.
This is my second novel, and some things are easier second time round, some more difficult. For instance I am already thinking about viewpoint, which did not happen until I was well into the previous one. I am toying with the idea of doing it first person, not sure. I wonder how late into a book one can make that decision? I am also thinking about structure far more and am fairly excited by what I am intending to do.
What is harder is looking at the mountain to climb. The first novel just starts, and being naive, one thinks, oh this will be easy, just keep writing. But having got through that, I now know what lies ahead and it looks terrifying from here.
I do remember last time that the first chapter was easy and I felt would hook the reader from the start; this time round it feels like pants. But I can come back to that.
Here is an interesting thought though; it is assumed that the first chapter, the first line, is what will hook the reader. Everyone can quote, "It's a universally acknowledged fact..." (P&P - Austen) and many others to illustrate this point. (Does anyone remember the Monty Python sketch where watching Thomas Hardy write a novel was treated as spectator sport with commentator etc? - 10 minutes sitting watching him write the opening line, score it out, start again etc, and then commentators discussing whether it was a good opening?)
My thought is though, when I pick up a book and consider whether to read it, I don't ever read the first line. I look at the cover and title with - if I am attracted I pick it up and read the back. I then flick through the pages and get a sense of it. Decision is never made by reading the first page.
I recently got "Life on the Refridgerator Door" by Alice Kuipers by this method. I quite liked its bright pink cover, but skimming through it, I could see that it was entirely made up of post its written by mother and daughter, and was intrigued by this structure.
Someone from my creative writing class gave me a snippet from the Daily Express Nov 4th, Beachcomer. He (or she - I don't usually read the Express) says reading the first line of the second chapter is far more revealing and interesting, but that most writers don't bother crafting this as well. Interesting becuase I think I do write each chapter as if it were a stand alone feature and I need to keep the reader going. Whether this has worked, I guess I will find out soon as right now the book is being read by an agent....
Keep in touch - it is great to hear from all the other writers out there who are taking time to read and respond to me!
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2 comments:
I agree absolutely. I thought writing was so easy when I was writing my first book (so I thought). Having weathered the pitfalls - I did just about everything wrong first time round - I plan to incur fewer editorial suggestions second time round... The amazing thing is I found a publisher before I knew what I was doing! She says she could see my potential. I think she must have good eyesight!
I don't remember opening sentences. I guess for me the criterion for working or not as first sentences is whether they lead me to the second and so on.
Thanks for book store adventure and Maggie O'Farrel. I read it so intently on train ride home I almost missed my stop. I still have about 30 pages left--I fell asleep. I have a terrible sense of dread about what might be happening, so I am almost afraid now to read it but of course compelled to know Maybe final sentences are the hardest?
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