Monday, August 29, 2011

I'm all like... Whoa. Or maybe 'woohoo' is better

So, for all you lovely new people (and maybe the old ones. I can't remember if I mentioned this recently), for Camp Nano, I wrote my first YA novel. I know I recently mentioned that I think YA is my real niche, etcetc (check it here).

I finished it a few days ago and sent it to my dad for him to edit.

He finished it in three days. He said he didn't want to put it down. (Now I know that parents are supposed to do this, but my dad is a writer as well (find him here) and he doesn't believe in telling someone that something is good when it's not. He admits that he's bias because I am his daughter, but I trust his opinion completely.)

I am in love with this novel, but because it was my first YA novel, I was afraid it wasn't that great. So when he said this, this was my reaction:
There are some problems with it, of course. What first draft doesn't have problems? But he liked it! I figured it would take him a few weeks to get through it. Three days, though? Three days?
Obviously, I am very excited about this. I was all tense waiting for his opinion, wanting to call and ask him like every other moment to find out what he thought about it. I am so in love with this manuscript that I think it may have actually hurt to hear that it sucked.

I told him to go through it again and give it another look over and make sure that he caught and commented on everything that needed to be. i also want some more time away from the manuscript so when I go back to it, it's like looking at it with fresh eyes.

I can't wait! GAAAHH!!!
I wanted to share with my writerly people. Because it makes me feel AWESOME!

Ok, I think I'm done.

Laters!

15 comments:

  1. Yay on the positive and fast feedback! Good Luck waiting to dive in on edits...I'm never very good at that.

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  2. That's great! :D It sounds really interesting from the excerpt.
    So many gifs...

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  3. All the best with your work.

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  4. Don't you love getting back good comments on your manuscript? Every story has problems, but hearing that there's way more good than bad is extremely heartening. Way to go!

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  5. Hi,
    I'm a fellow campaigner andlove your clips to express your excitement! Clearly you are more computer savy than I am. Congrats on the review. It really is the best feeling to hear that someone loves your work.

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  6. Yay!! You solved it! And your Dad's reaction is just fantastic - what better way to go into edits than knowing your story is strong? Absolutely wonderful, congratulations :D

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  7. That is awesome. It's always nerve-wracking to have a reader go over your stuff, especially when it's someone you care deeply about. At the same time, when you have a good reader, it's like striking gold. Congrats on the finished draft! Finishing in itself is a huge accomplishment.

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  8. It is really nice to meet you through the Campaign. What exciting news!!! Congrats! I would definitely take some time away from it for awhile. Maybe work on another????

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  10. Hello, fellow campaigner! I'm not in your group, but I still wanted to check out your blog and say, "HI!"

    I'm loving your enthusiasm. Don't slow down! :)

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  11. Congrats on finishing! I just finished my WIP a few days ago and was super excited :)

    I felt this way when I let my mom read my first novel. She's not a writer, but a VERY avid reader. I did a little happy dance when it only took her a few days to finish. She said she just couldn't put it down.

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  12. How exciting! It's always fun to get positive feedback, no matter who it's from.

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  13. Let me put in my own two-cents' worth here, as I'm the Dad in this story:

    I wasn't sure what to expect. YA isn't exactly my field. I've read one Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, so that's the extent of my YA experience.

    Having said that, no matter what genre we write in, it's still story that matters. The rest is just costuming. And Jesi's story is great. She has characters you care about, which is good considering it's a bunch of kids who rob banks, and she maintains the suspense at just the right level.

    No, it ain't perfect (yet), and I'm giving myself a day more away from it before I go through it again. I have to tell you, the majority of it was read/edited over the course of two days. I was tired and cross-eyed at the end of each day, but so what? Good stories do that.

    Keep an eye out for this one. If it doesn't get picked up, there ain't no justice in the world. And yes, I'm a bit biased towared her as my daughter, but I give her complete honesty in my critiques because I don't want to lie in the slightest about something like that. Writing is too important to both of us for that to happen.

    Gil

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  14. Congratulations on finishing. You're fortunate to have a critic who is expert, honest, and kind.

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