It's a Giveaway!

ETA: We have a winner! Something She Wrote's 100th follower is VirtualWordsmith. Congratulations, Lynn!

Because she signed up under her own steam, she gets both books! Lynn, look for them sometime next week.

To any newcomers: I hope that, despite the fact the books have already been given away, you'll make yourselves at home. I welcome your visit anytime!

Thanks, everyone. This was a lot of fun, and I sure appreciate each of you.

Janna

After Firsts

So we talked about firsts.

Some of you are still neck-deep with your first novel, whether writing, editing or querying. Many haven't looked at their early manuscripts in ages. Others have worked and reworked with potential still looming; others yet have already found success with numero uno. Further proof we all have our own paths, yes?

But one common thought gleaned from Monday's post was that we learn incredible amounts from our first attempts. Lady Glamis said it well: "No writing is ever wasted writing." I dare say we shouldn't regret any step we've taken, any word we've written.

Another prevailing thought was, there's a next stage. We've a reason to move forward, to keep going: We write. More. Better. There are other stories to be told, and we want to tell 'em.

Great news, isn't it?

You know what else? I've never been part of such a sincere and supportive group of people. Your encouragement is somethin' else. If you're in need of a good dose today, visit the comments from my Firsts post.

Now write on!

Firsts

Kiss. Paycheck. Baby. House. Grandchild.

Novel.

Mine took a year to write. Three months to edit. Three months of queries (and no agent bites) before Avalon showed interest by requesting the full. They turned it down for their reasons, and I've been sitting on Bliss Lake ever since. I thought about more edits, some embellishments. I considered reworking the format, deepening the plot, adding another POV. I even spent some time giving it another go, trying to make it work.

But I recently decided to shelve it. Bliss Lake and I are cutting ties for now. Maybe for always.

It was shorter than most agents and publishers choose to consider. My characters, much as I loved them, weren't fleshed-out enough. The story, as I thought it was meant to be told, didn't have emotional depth, no pulling weight.

It just wasn't good enough. Not as my writing needs to be. As good as I want it to be.

But it was worth it, because I learned so much. I delved into the craft, started finding my voice. Experienced the rush of words, the effort of discipline, the draw of the story. I learned I can write a novel. All from my first attempt.

It was excellent practice.

What ever happened to your first novel?