by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
While I loved the new first act of the third draft of the novel, it was just too long. So I dwelled a great deal on what to do about the situation and finally came up with a solution. I have totally re-imagined the first act in a way that makes it a lot more manageable.
In fact, it’s at least possible that I may be pretty close to the 100,000 word sweetspot. Or, if nothing else, I’m a lot closer to it than I was.
All of this happens in the context of needed a second creative track. I have three solid scifi concepts that I’m noodling on. But I just continue to drift towards my goal, which is not cool. I need to give my life a lot more structure. I can’t just keep drifting towards a general goal. I need to focus, focus, focus.
But I am pleased with the new direction the novel has taken. I’ve managed to cherry pick all the coolest scenes while whittling down the overall scene count to something that that is a lot closer to my goal. The scene count had ballooned to about 50 scenes, which is just way, way, way too many. Now, I’m under 40, which is much closer.
If nothing else, this new direction in the novel gives me hope. I hope that I will be around 100,000 words and I will still be on track to querying my first novel seriously in late 2024.
That, at least, is the goal. I can’t keep spinning my wheels. I’m definitely in put up or shut up mode at the moment.
