Greetings, Faoii! Are you all ready to hear which of our brothers and sisters get to name/design the seven characters in our contest? Yes? Great!
But first you have to wait and listen to me talk about something else for a second.
Today is November 1st. For many writers, this is the beginning of NaNoWriMo-- a month where we all set a writing goal and dedicate ourselves to bettering our craft. A lot of people spend this first day feeling bad about how little they wrote, promising to do better. But guess what! Even if you didn’t write a single word today, you’re still doing better than me! My word count for the first day of November: -3,000 words. That’s right. No matter how bad-off you are, you’re NOT in the negatives. So go you!
haha. I am still going through my final edit of The Last Faoii. When I first finished it and started querying it to agents 3 years ago, it was at an atrocious 117,346 words spread over 19 chapters. I, of course, had no idea that it needed so much help and sent it out to 200 agents without a care in the world. Thank god someone told me that it was too long and inspired me to truly look at it and see what was to be done. It has been through 15 or so edits since then, each one bringing it closer to perfection than the last.
I still have about 40 pages to get through, but as of now The Last Faoii is 97,096 words spread out over 41 easier-to-digest chapters. My fantoii cut through all that was unnecessary to the ultimate goals of our army, its blade dripping with superfluous description and bulky exposition. Nearly 20,000 words have met their end in the name of greatness.
Looking back now, the worst thing I could have heard at the time (It’s too long. It’ll never be published) turned out to be a blessing. Because it forced me to make something better. Something amazing. I read over the first 30 pages of both versions today to see the difference-- and I could not be more pleased with the changes that have come. 97k words is still probably too long for most publishers, but not with inkshares. Not with all of you backing me up. So thank you. And good luck with your own writing for NaNo!
Okay. On to the contest:
1. Current Name: Mollie-Faoii
Now in the hands of Zack Jordan
2. Current Name: Faoii-Leigh
Now in the hands of K.E. Madsen
3. Current Name: Ray Goodman
Now in the hands of Joshua Griffith
4. Current Name: Linda Goodman
Now in the hands of Megan Galindo
5. Current Name: Samuel Harkins
Now in the hands of Amanda Garner
6. Current Name: Faoii-Joanna
Now in the hands of Jesse Moore
7. Current Name: Faoii-Elizabeth
Now in the hands of Scott R. Mcinnes
Congratulations to all the winners! I’ve contacted you with a direct message either on inkshares or on facebook! I really look forward to seeing what you all come up with!
That’s it for today, Faoii! Dismissed and happy writing!
