So. I finished writing my book.

[Something Amyss]

Well, here's the thing about that. No one gives a shit about you (not you specifically, you meaning writers like that) or what you wrote unless it is popular. Authors that don't let people read their work are not authors. No one is going to steal your story because they don't care about it. Until you sign that big deal that nets you millions of dollars, there is nothing special about you or your book. People don't seem to understand that.

Yeah, it's funny how few people seem to get that. I mean, even if I wanted to steal someone else's ideas, I've got enough of my own. Are they good? Debatable. Are they what I would give priority? Well, yeah. I've got two whole arcs planned for the characters in my first novel (and a sequel I'm working with) alone. If I can get published, and if I can find more than a dozen readers, I'll probably be too busy with that to steal.

...Actually, no. I'll write anyway.

I've been told that fantasy is given a wider berth by publishers; 90-110 usually with 110 being "it better be damn good to be that long." So you definitely want to stick to the lower recommendation if you're a first timer.

What I've read from agents on their blogs and websites is that urban fantasy has shorter expectations than straight fantasy. I'd have to go looking again to find said sites, but it seems to be pretty standard that it's shorter. IIR, I've seen 80-90K a lot. That kind of worries me as my current manuscript is 75K. I've noticed a trend to shorter novels in the genre, however.

My first novel attempt was about 110K and it didn't even get responses. Of course, there's also the possibility it wasn't that good, shocking as it is to think I might write something of less than the greatest quality. Still.

Yeah. 210 is LONG. Even guys like Stephen King would have to fight to get something that long published. Order of the Phoenix is the only book I've seen that could get away with it and that clocks in at about 250. But it was also the 5th book in a highly lucrative and successful franchise and you'll notice that the 6th and 7th books are far shorter. Rowling likely had to fight with them over it even if it was Harry Potter.

I'm still surprised Twilight got a publisher, and it's only 550 pages. This isn't even a comment on quality, just on the size of the thing.

But yeah, Rowling was definitely a special circumstance there, given the Potter books were a license to print money.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yep, I wrote a book, got it published when I was 16 and moved on some weeks later. Nowadays I go months at a time without even thinking about it. It had very little impact in my life, beyond a couple of presentations, some radio talk an one signing. It's all self-promoting, doesn't mean anything. The one thing that stuck with me was the warm feeling of knowing I "got it over with" for what it's worth. And I gained the one fan, with whom I've been mailing back and forth for the past five years. I think that's my own private celebration.

Damn! 16? You must've been quite the prodigy. I'm impressed.

Thank you, but I don't like the book myself and I'm always discouraging people from reading it.

because its called "how to stab people the right way"?

why? tell us the title so we might judge it and you. /NOPRESSUREWHATSOEVER

I like my anonymity here but I'll PM you the title and ISBN thing if you want. Regarding why I don't like it, I was 16 and it's mostly a work of hatred and resentment towards certain people. I was also desperately trying to be every author I admired at that age and just as desperately plagiarizing them to forge a style that would read just as good. Writing it and publishing it was very cathartic but reading it nearly 8 years later I can't stand the self-righteousness of the thing.

well, that kind of stagers my interest in the title.

you made a book that more or less reads like catcher in the rye?
i couldnt stand that book at all, even when i was in my rebelious young years as a teenager.
i just found that book to be concentrated senseless emo ranting that somehow got popularity due its diction.

so, please dont tell me you were heavily influenced by this particular work by J. D. Salinger.

I told you it was unbearably selft-righteous!

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

So now I guess I start doing research on how to shop it around and get an agent. Huh.

You should join Critique Circle [http://www.critiquecircle.com]! I've been in a lot of writing forums/communities and I've found CC to easily be the best, brightest and most constructive around. Since the whole site is based around giving and receiving criticism, most everyone is really humble and down-to-earth and just focussed on giving honest, helpful feedback.

No matter what your plans regarding getting published, I'd definitely run your final draft through CC and see what sort of response you get. It can really change your perspective on things for the better.

 

[Mordekaien]

I've been working on it for 10 years. I finally finished writing it. The whole time I always looked forward to finishing it and I imagined I would feel so accomplished and everyone around me who's listened to me obsess about it for 10 years would be like "thank god!" and we'd all go out to Red Lobster or some shit and celebrate.

Nope. I feel accomplished and proud of myself. But it's more of a "sweet. I just did that" kind of feeling instead of a "YES OMFGWTFLOLBBQ IM DONE" kind of thing.

So now I guess I start doing research on how to shop it around and get an agent. Huh.

For dicsussion value, have you ever accomplished something you were highly looking forward to and then it was underwhelming? What was it?

When I finally attained black belt, it wasn't so special as I thought it would be.
Other than that, I don't think something big enough has happened.

 

[Mr F.]

Getting some of my poetry published, way back. Some people liked my stuff, I never thought that much of it (The only thing I like is something I wrote when I was 14. Seriously.) But apparently that one poem I wrote way back when was good enough for some people and it got into an anthology. But about a year after that, from some of my stuff getting published, I bounced into writing a poem for a book on understanding mental health issues. That was good. And I once bumped into someone who had read my poem. That was... Interesting.

But outside of literary achievements, there is little that has taken me ages and made me feel that amazing.

I thought getting into University late after several years of study would make me feel awesome. It didn't, I just bumped around for a few days and then suddenly I was in University. Then again, I have a bit of an excuse for never feeling that amazing. See above and writing a poem on understanding mental health issues.

Actually...

*ponders*

One thing. One random thing. I did a sequence of interviews for a researcher about self harm. Essentially, why I do it, how long I have done it, what makes me want to do it, etc. We talked, at length, about the media. Particularly about why I thought it was a good idea for a film, as much as it has "Contains alcohol and drug references" beneath the title to have the words, when applicable, "Contains distressing or triggering images". Because I have been blindsided before by films. And I know quite a few people who have been blindsided by films. And that's bad. Anyway, I asked to be on the mailing list of people when the article gets published and if it hits the lecture circuit. It did hit the lecture circuit. I watched a lecture where my pseudonym was referred to regularly. That felt like a little win.

EDIT:

Didn't mean beneath the title. Meant by the rating. But you get the idea. Bleh.