AFistfulofBalderdash
Scribe
Ok, so two days ago I finished a 400 page rough draft of my first novel. Over seven months of work came to a respite where I could lean back in my chair after ten hours of work and breathe easy. Now comes that hard part. I need to smooth the rough edges, recite every line of dialogue a second time, and ensure the reader isn't lost in confusion about my world. I need to do some good ol' proof-reading.
I fully intend to post parts of it for review (when I get the post count), but I find myself on a rather foreign topic to me, which is how to proof and finalize a novel . It is a wholly overwhelming concept to a nineteen year old kid fresh out of high school. This is something people are going to pay money for, and this is the first novel set in my vast allegorical fantasy world so I need to keep it from being too ingrain with the lore, lest I drag down the pinch-perfect pacing I settled on.
I want a general idea of where to go from here. Should I start editing before I finish the bells and whistles? should I analyze the plot and ensure it REALLY is solid? Should I start passing it to beta-readers as soon as I can? And before you reply, I'll give some details to clarify any questions off the top of your head.
=The Book is divided in three parts, these parts each represent a period in the life of the protagonist. Each part has it's own arc and climax, but the characters of each part carry over. The plot of each 'part' is different but all of them are beneficial and dependent on the main plot-line.
=I believe the plot and characters are absolutely amazing right now, and I wrote the entire book without a lapse of interest and only one major writing block near the end of the final part so I know everything doesn't sink after a certain point. I know there are flaws and a few rough edges I want to smooth during the proof-reading phase.
=the book is set in a world that I've defined down to a science. None of the events of "Azure" revolve around the characters and instead are merely people in this world just like you or me. Therefore I kept the book focused on a 'character-plot' that doesn't dive into the lore so much. Basically, I'm in a situation where 80% of the lore doesn't matter in this particular novel, but the pieces that are relevant include centuries of history, fear, and disdain...something I have no idea how to translate perfectly in its already balanced pace.
=to clear up any reader confusion, I'm adding an appendix in the back which will contain terms and their definitions. These terms are as commonplace a word in this world as the 'human' is in ours thus it seems very out of character to have anyone define these terms in their dialogue. I'm looking into the idea of a map of the continent this story takes place on (something better than the God awful one I sketched at the start). And when it comes to the parts, I've planned on adding an 'in-character' monologue that concerns the plot of each part a 'prologue/quote' if you will.
I thank you for your time reading, and I wait anxiously for any advice.
I fully intend to post parts of it for review (when I get the post count), but I find myself on a rather foreign topic to me, which is how to proof and finalize a novel . It is a wholly overwhelming concept to a nineteen year old kid fresh out of high school. This is something people are going to pay money for, and this is the first novel set in my vast allegorical fantasy world so I need to keep it from being too ingrain with the lore, lest I drag down the pinch-perfect pacing I settled on.
I want a general idea of where to go from here. Should I start editing before I finish the bells and whistles? should I analyze the plot and ensure it REALLY is solid? Should I start passing it to beta-readers as soon as I can? And before you reply, I'll give some details to clarify any questions off the top of your head.
=The Book is divided in three parts, these parts each represent a period in the life of the protagonist. Each part has it's own arc and climax, but the characters of each part carry over. The plot of each 'part' is different but all of them are beneficial and dependent on the main plot-line.
=I believe the plot and characters are absolutely amazing right now, and I wrote the entire book without a lapse of interest and only one major writing block near the end of the final part so I know everything doesn't sink after a certain point. I know there are flaws and a few rough edges I want to smooth during the proof-reading phase.
=the book is set in a world that I've defined down to a science. None of the events of "Azure" revolve around the characters and instead are merely people in this world just like you or me. Therefore I kept the book focused on a 'character-plot' that doesn't dive into the lore so much. Basically, I'm in a situation where 80% of the lore doesn't matter in this particular novel, but the pieces that are relevant include centuries of history, fear, and disdain...something I have no idea how to translate perfectly in its already balanced pace.
=to clear up any reader confusion, I'm adding an appendix in the back which will contain terms and their definitions. These terms are as commonplace a word in this world as the 'human' is in ours thus it seems very out of character to have anyone define these terms in their dialogue. I'm looking into the idea of a map of the continent this story takes place on (something better than the God awful one I sketched at the start). And when it comes to the parts, I've planned on adding an 'in-character' monologue that concerns the plot of each part a 'prologue/quote' if you will.
I thank you for your time reading, and I wait anxiously for any advice.