I give up.
I need ideas, and they–recalcitrant beasts that they are– will not appear. Please, ideas…have pity on me and put yourself into this manuscript.
I woke with a new book in my head and now I can’t work on the one I am SUPPOSED to be doing…the one my nephew, Robbie, will beat me for if I don’t get it written…
The one that has been in limbo for more than a year.
Outline of Book: done.
First 1/4 of Book — done, done and then done some more — done to the point that there are 160,000 words: TWO books worth of done-ness to sort through and condense into no more than 50,000 words so that the total length of the Book won’t be so big that the paperback is a doorstop.
Tad Williams can get away with a book 520,000 words long (To Green angel Tower) and David Foster Wallace could with Infinite Jest (543,709) –but I’m an indie.
I have to calculate my production costs, and believe me, it’s hard enough for an indie to sell work that is priced reasonably. Once an indie’s paperback increases to more than $14.99 it won’t sell at all, and at anything over 120,00 to 130,000 words your costs are well over the optimum of $12.99.
What to leave in? What to cut?
What the heck?
Second 1/4 of book mostly done, and looking good.
Last half of book nearly done, pleased with the way that is going.
Still drowning in flood of first 1/4–> think there may be a book of short-stories there. Must decide who will live…
…and who will end their days in an anthology of tales of Neveyah….
Sigh.
Life in the Realm of Fantasy 