(no subject)
I've been reading my second novel, as a strange way to boost my writing confidence. My second novel is the one I rarely talk about because it's just ... irredeemable. I wrote it between the ages of 13 and 16, and although it represents a major accomplishment, since it's the first novel I finished, it's also my worst novel. By far. Mythriders is a crappy fantasy with a main character that nearly reeks of Mary Sue. By reading it, I'm reminding myself of how horrible I used to be, and how much better I've gotten.
The plot is as atrocious as I remember it, but here and there is a good sentence or description. A few little sparks of light amidst the crap heap. I rushed through things, I used adverbs like they were on sale, I tried to make things have dramatic impact and failed miserably. Oh, god I can't believe I tried to get that published! I got one rejection letter, was disheartened, and decided to put Mythriders aside for a while. I started a sequel that died off after a few dozen pages and then went back to Crossbreed. Crossbreed is the Novel That Would Not Die. I've revised the first chapter about a dozen times, so it at least kept pace with the newer parts as I went along. I still have the original draft, though. It's almost as bad as Mythriders.
Maybe someday when I've published a few books and I feel like embarrassing myself, I'll put Mythriders up on the web so people can laugh until they fall out of their chairs. Or groan in pain.
The plot is as atrocious as I remember it, but here and there is a good sentence or description. A few little sparks of light amidst the crap heap. I rushed through things, I used adverbs like they were on sale, I tried to make things have dramatic impact and failed miserably. Oh, god I can't believe I tried to get that published! I got one rejection letter, was disheartened, and decided to put Mythriders aside for a while. I started a sequel that died off after a few dozen pages and then went back to Crossbreed. Crossbreed is the Novel That Would Not Die. I've revised the first chapter about a dozen times, so it at least kept pace with the newer parts as I went along. I still have the original draft, though. It's almost as bad as Mythriders.
Maybe someday when I've published a few books and I feel like embarrassing myself, I'll put Mythriders up on the web so people can laugh until they fall out of their chairs. Or groan in pain.