Okay, so I’m seriously behind (thanks to a long day of moving my Grammy on Nov. 1, and a dentist appointment on Nov. 2) … but time to get cracking the whip! Luckily it’s almost the weekend, and, since I’m in Seattle and it’s November, it’s gonna be a rainy one. That would sometimes make me frown, but a good dreary day is often the inspiration/motivation I need.
This article on some seriously successful sci-fi and fantasy authors from io9.com was very inspiring. Yes, that’s just more procrastination, but it really is a good list of first-time authors. I especially liked the blurb on J.K. Rowling (even though I don’t write YA stories), it’s a good reminder to all of us that a book — a well-written book — can take a long time to write. And an even longer time to find a publisher!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Year: 1997
What’s it about: There’s this kid named Harry Potter, living with his obnoxious foster parents and their odious son, until he discovers he’s actually secretly a wizard with a huge destiny. He goes off to the magical school of Hogwarts, where he has lots of amazing adventures. J.K. Rowling started work on this book in 1991, after her mother died, but didn’t finish it until 1996 — and then even after she got an agent, it took a year to find a publisher.*
Honors: The first Harry Potter book won a slew of Children’s book awards in the U.K., and in the U.S. it was an American Library Association notable book, and one of the best books of 1998 according to Publishers Weekly and the New York Public Library. It was later made into a hugely successful film.
Enough with the procrastinating … back to the (mostly blank) page …
Word count: 146
*bolded by me for emphasis.
UPDATE: In less than five hours, word count grew to 1636! And the characters are definitely developing voices 🙂