I’m always amazed at how accomplished finishing a first draft makes me feel. It’s not like I haven’t typed “The End” before, but every time, I feel like I should go shout it from the mountain tops. I love that feeling. It’s a powerful drug, and I’m surprised I was able to overcome its addictive qualities when I first wrote those words at the ripe old age of twelve (that was the pegasus/starship Enterprise Fan fic, for those keeping track). This work has been harder than most. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I feel like I had to dig down and pull this one out in the clutch. Most of my work just flows, but I had to bleed for this one.
And so, in celebration of finishing a completed rough draft I’m putting up the query letter for some help (no, I’m not planning to query for a long time, heck, I’m not even going to start the rewrite until August, and I’m not querying with a project that hasn’t been through the meat grinder editing force of my beta readers).
First, some stats because it’s as close to statistics as I’ll ever get.
Title: From the Blood of Dragons
Words: 60,000 (that makes it the shortest rough draft I’ve had so far)
Date started: April 9, 2011
Date finished: July 1, 2011
Words per day: 712 (see, when you put it like that, writing a novel must be easy)
FROM THE BLOOD OF DRAGONS (working title, as in, I’m trying to figure out if it’s working).
Like most girls her age, Allyson Carter hates everything about herself. She’s had acne to shame a pepperoni pizza since she was ten. Her asthma’s so bad, she keeps three inhalers (backpack, pocket, bed stand). She can’t catch the eye of her crush at school, Steve, and her best friend is a troll. Okay, technically Beth’s only half troll. When a group of kidnappers corners Allyson and her friend at the mall, all hell breaks loose when Allyson spits fireballs to escape. Allyson is half dragon and never knew it. Her acne? Emerging scales. Her asthma? Actually a fiery breath weapon.
After they escape the kidnappers, Allyson learns that Steve has disappeared, and he wasn’t just any hot guy from school. Steve is descended from unicorns. The police think it’s a simple runaway case, but Allyson knows better. Someone is kidnapping the other halfs and taking their powers. If the police won’t find him, Allyson will.
First, congrats on finishing! It IS satisfying to type "The End". Very satisfying.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I love the sound of your next novel! It's really interesting, and you've seem to captured popular elements without it seeming trite. :D
Thanks, and yeah, it's the popular elements that have me worried. I don't want a story that sounds like all the others. I've been hearing agents talking a lot about 16 year old shape shifters, and that has my knees knocking faster than that dream where you have to give a speech on short notice (usually in your underwear).
ReplyDelete