February 1, 2010. This date was etched as meaningful two years ago, but became meaningful for reasons I didn’t dare plan back then.
A quick recap – on Feb 1, 2008, I walked out of the Chronicle office for the last time. After mistakes by both myself and management, the relationship between myself and my editor had soured to the point it was unsalvageable and working there had become a blight on my soul. I didn’t have a new job yet, but had to leave what had become a poisonous situation. So, Hubby and I had a dilemma – did I go get a job in the public service (more money, but still causing problems in writing fiction cause it used up all my creativity) or get an easier, part-time job (less money but more time and brain space in which to write).
History shows that we chose the second option, and I set a time limit of two years, after which time there would be a review.
Hence the anticipated date of Feb 1, 2010.
I had an aim for that date – if after two years of solid effort, I was a better writer and to all appearances had a good shot at being a published novelist, I would keep going. If, however, it was now blatantly clear that no matter how hard I worked I was never going to have what it takes, then I would go back to writing as a hobby, for happiness, and re-evaluate my life direction. I didn’t set goals for things that I had no control over, so I didn’t say ‘in two years, I’ll have an agent’ or ‘in two years, I’ll have a publishing contract’.
Which makes what Feb 1, 2010 did become quite ironic – it was the deadline for book two of the trilogy to be delivered to HarperVoyager.
Still, I will review after two years, as I said I would. Verdict – I think you’re getting better at this novel writing thing, and you should probably keep going :)
In all seriousness, I am a much better writer than I was two years ago. No, actually that’s not true – I’ve always been a good writer, I wouldn’t have lasted four and a half years in journalism if I wasn’t. No, what I’ve become is a much better novelist. I’m better at plotting. I’m better at pacing. I’m better at taking ideas and running with them and delving down into them and bringing the interesting stuff to the surface.
Still have aways to go, and I’m looking forward to testing myself with future novels. For example, I know that the next project with have more POV characters. And I’m interested in seeing how I can better develop and wind through sub-plots. And then there’s things like trying first person, and maybe having another go at epic fantasy, and science fiction, and maybe straight romance.
I’m going to set myself another two year goal, and this one’s going to be a little different – I’m going to punt with a few things I can’t control. So, apart from wanting to continue to develop as a writer and novelist, I want to: a) Get an agent and b) sell at least two more novels, and maybe even five. That would entail Battle for Odana (which is going to be developed into a duology) and depending on how things go with this trilogy, a follow-up trilogy.
Will be interesting to see how things are sitting on Feb 1, 2012.