Tuesday 21 April 2009

Number 4 in my head

I was in the cellar at work today (rememeber it's a workspace not a punishment area) and I was looking out of the window (it's a very odd very old building) when a sentence popped into my head. I wrote the sentence on a piece of paper and shoved it into the pocket of my jacket. Then I started to think about it. It could be book number 4.
The current state of play is:
Book number 1 - having a final polish.
Book number 2 - about 10,000 words so far
Book number 3 - Couple of thousand words in longhand in a folder that's shoved behind the sofa.
Book number 4 - One sentence.
It's good to dream.

11 comments:

Annie Wicking said...

Not a good thing, GBW... I have about eight books on my computer plus about twenty-five short stories, now if I was to join up all the dots I would have two complete novels maybe even three;-)

I tell myself they are my safeguard against writer's block... oh mmm, is it a myth or just a creative mind at work here.

Amanda said...

Good luck with your dream.
It's great that you have so many ideas for novels. :-))

Colette McCormick said...

I'm sure that there's a best seller amongst those eight books Annie.
Amanda, I'm okay at the idea stage - it's the following through that's my problem.

Sheila Norton said...

I'm so impressed by how many books you have on the go at once! I'm sure I'd get confused if I was working on more than one at a time. I do start thinking about the next one when I'm nearing the end of a novel, though. And I'm currently planning a new series of three; but I'll definitely stick to writing one at a time!

Colette McCormick said...

Oh I don't write them all at the same time. Oh my olivia, that would be way too confusing and God knows I find life confusing enough without adding to it.
Number 1 was "finished" about a year ago but put to one side when I couldn't interest an agent/publisher. That was when I started Number 2. That was put aside when I decided that as I'd had a good response from the agent I had sent Number 1 to I'd dust that off and change a few things and hopefully make it a better book. But before I could do that I got Number 3 in my head and wanted to lay down a few ideas on paper. With that done I concentrated on number 1 which will hopefully be finally finished and ready to go out again before the end of the year. Number 4 is no more than a sentence on a piece of paper in my jacket pocket.
When Number 1 is finished I'm not sure that I will go onto Number 2. I think it will be Number 3 next. But that's what I'm thinking today. Tomorrow could be another story.

Sheila Norton said...

Ah,now I understand, completely! I too had a No.1 which went into the back of the cupboard, and a No.2 which never made it off my computer, before The One that finally got accepted. Sadly, though, mine were just never going to be good enough to go back to, so I don't count them any more. Good luck with sending out your No.1 again. If you've had a good response from an agent on it already, it sounds promising.

Colette McCormick said...

I hope so Olivia. The comments were that they liked the characterisation and the style of writing but just didn't know where to place it. Maybe I sent it to the wrong people. Did you send your first book to an agent or publisher? Do you have any advice to give?

Sheila Norton said...

I went straight to publishers in the end, Gonna Be - having had no luck with agents - but have now got an agent (hooray!) finally, after having 3 books accepted. Advice? Well, only to keep on trying, which you are doing already. The thing about 'not knowing where to place it' is half the trouble, nowadays, when so much importance is placed on the genre and the 'brand'. I know how hard it is, but in the end, acceptance is such a subjective thing - it just needs one person, the right person, to want your book enough to take it on.

Colette McCormick said...

I know from the short stories that I've had published that it's all about pitching to the right person at the right time. More than one story has been turned down by one editor only to be taken up by the next one.
It's just a matter of self belief.

Pat Posner said...

I agree, Gonna Be, it is good to dream. The thing is, you've finished one book so you know you can do it again with whichever idea you go with.
Just remember to get that bit of paper out of your pocket *smile*.

Colette McCormick said...

I should do that right away Pat because it wouldn't be the first time that I washed an idea.