This might just be paranoia

[rflong]

but given the new people in the novel group on NB, I have been reviewing Moy Tura Echoes and have come to a scary conclusion. It might be too short!

I can't say for sure. (At the moment it certainly is but that's because I only have a first draft from long ago and scatty notes). But the chapters are short for me. The pace is pretty quick. Things are happening at the moment at a rate of knots (or nots, of naughts, not sure how to spell that). And and and...

Ok, it probably is paranoia. I can make it as long as I need to. I can go back and expand on earlier chapters. I can give more background, history etc. There is one thing people rarely mention when writing: that is, how daunting a novel can be. I've completed two (four if you count A Dream of the West as the trilogy it probably is). They never seemed as difficult as this one. Am I putting more into Moy Tura than I did into the others? Well A Dream of the West only took four years to get into a full draft (which I thought was ready - foolish me!) and The Penitent is just a weird book in that it flowed (much as To Regain Heaven appears to be doing - hope I don't jinx it by saying that). True, I have three major WIPs on the go right now, but I always wrote other things in tandem before. I think its a harder novel to write. But why? 

"Real life" setting - it can be hard to bring in that much reality without starting to fact-check constantly. 

The concepts involved - sometimes I think I have them all worked out, sometimes I reread and go either "huh?" or "did I write that?" and my favorite so far "how on earth did you ever think THAT would work?"

The characters - often refuse to do what they are told and come up with their own ideas - I am not kidding!  I can see why I portray them as belligerant, self-centred and just plain stubborn - THEY ARE!

Arrghhhghhghhh....  *pause for deep breath*

I need to take a step back again and look at the "overview" (there isn't one of course, but there are some scribbled notes somewhere. I have a plan, I tell you. I have a plan.)

Racing on with To Regain Heaven - into Chapter 4. Also a bit on the short side. I seem to be writing short chapters these days. But as long as the story wants to flow I will let it do so and worry about making it work later. 

Hmm, maybe that's what I need to do with Moy Tura as well. So frustrating.

R

Comments

[clhollandwriter]

It's not too short - once you get to the end we can always go back and start critting the beginning. ;-)

Mine is probably too long - the draft is 24 chapters and still not finished. But for the workshop I've started at the beginning and am ruthlessly editing. There are several chapter's worth of rubbish that can just go!

[sacredmime.livejournal.com]

Ha, feel free to view it over, so I can catch up. :)

And if you want, we can include suggestions in our crits for places where you can expand what's there.

Don't over-worry it. Chapters, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. :) As long as the story flows, it's all good.