<p>what he said ^</p>
<p>I’ve written three. Two have received favorable reviews from editors but no one has invested yet. Waging my own private war with the publishing industry.</p>
<p>How can I help?</p>
<p>There are many veteran posters who are publishing novelists who know far more than I. With that caveat, I will try to answer questions.</p>
<p>Only tried writing picture books. It was fun, I got some nice rejections as well as some pro-forma ones. In the end I decided to go on to other things. My best friend in college was published before graduating. The best way to learn to write a novel is to start writing.</p>
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You are too modest, mythmom. I have read your posts! </p>
<p>I’m sure that one day, we will say we knew you when (well, sorta!).</p>
<p>Got a promising (I’d like to believe) first draft sitting on my desk, waiting for some TLC, a bit of revising, and a starry-eyed agent to take it on.</p>
<p>I’m working on one (slowly), and am part of a regular writers’ group and a novelists’ workshop that meets quarterly.</p>
<p>I’ve written two 800-page drafts of a novel that became unsaleable due to being overtaken by events, i.e., Obama and not Hillary got the nomination. I’ve published ten short stories in paying markets and co-directed a writer’s workshop for about 20 years…met TheMom in a writing class before that…and my critical fingerprints are on several published novels.</p>
<p>The best thing is to start writing, of course, and I’ve a play I want to write and a novel that I need to re-think that I want to write this year. </p>
<p>Understanding what <em>fiction</em> is, what comprises *story," are essential. Personally, I’m a demon about structure and questions like point of view, point of entry. My biggest weakness is plotting. I’m always unsatisfied with the weaknesses I see in my own plots.
I’m middlin’ on character, knowing what I’m going for, not always achieving it.</p>
<p>I wish I could. I’d give anything to have the talent. If I had mythmom’s writing ability, I would, without hesitation. </p>
<p>I have no doubt we will one day see mythmom’s novels on bookstore shelves. You would be wise to draw upon her expertise.</p>
<p>I have tried to write novels for years, but I usually never get beyond character notes and unfinished drafts. </p>
<p>I’m making it a goal to finish a short story based on a novel I’m trying to write by the end of winter break.</p>
<p>I’ve written a novel every November for the past 4 or 5 years. There’s a website: nanowrimo.org that organizes National Novel Writing Month every year in November. Its a great place for support and encouragement. For me the question is will I ever go back and rewrite any of the novels I’ve written?</p>
<p>The Dad, maybe you just need to sell those novels as alternate history. :)</p>
<p>TheDad: Hitler wasn’t assassinated, but did that stop Quintin Tarantino from writing Inglourious Basterds?</p>
<p>I wrote a novel, it was published by Harper Collins, Kirkus Review HATED it, and now they’re finally out of business. Took 14 years, but vengeance was mine! Second novel is still on a disc. My agent switched to non-fiction (she repped the Seabiscuit writer and Fast Food Nation, so didn’t need little old me) and I guess other agents were suspicious why I was out shopping again, so no bites. Plus, I’m not the most motivated person ever, but maybe I’ll self-publish the second if I can find the disc…</p>
<p>Oddly enought, BT, I was reading randomly in a blog of a novelist i wanted to know more about, just this moring, and she was also celebrating the end of Kirkus Reviews for the exact same reason. What a weird coincidence!</p>
<p>Not to res a slightly old thread, but now that the topic is brought up, what’s the publishing process like?</p>