Jeff O'Handley, Author

Jeff O'Handley

The Doubting Writer Finds His Voice

Weekend Update: And Away She Goes!

Various thoughts and musings over the previous week:

A week ago yesterday, we spent the better part of ten hours in the car getting the Catbird back to school. My wife and the Catbird split the driving chores on the way up; I pretty much drove us home. I like driving, don’t get me wrong, but the older I get….Anyway, woke up a little achy and sore on Monday, feeling a little fuzzy-headed. I attributed that to being out of work for almost a full week. But on Tuesday, oh boy. My first thought was, ‘It’s not the day after that will get you, it’s the day after the day after!’ But my aches became a little suspicious. So was the sore throat. I am fortunate that it didn’t really develop into anything. My wife was not so lucky, and spent the better part of two days dealing with a fever. Ugh.

The RiP is out the door! Sent it off to Carrie last night, and we’ll see what happens from here. Interestingly enough, it actually expanded a touch in word count, yet it feels lean. We’ll see what happens from here. Time to buckle in for a new round of submissions. Which means….

Back to the WiP! On a certain level, I’m almost afraid of this one, for a couple of reasons. It’s been written in a style not quite conventional for me (as if I can really be said to have a ‘convention’ at this point in time). Also because I’ve got 160, 170 pages written, but I’m not sure how much more the story can be expanded to fill out a full-length novel. I have tended, so far, to finish at around 98-100,000 words; this right now doesn’t seem to have the potential to land anywhere near that. I suppose the bit question is, “Does it need  to?” Maybe this is something that really needs to be novella/short novel in length. Time will tell.

I cannot believe Christmas is just under three weeks away.

That’s all I got for today; what’s up with you?
 

10 Responses

  1. Oh dear, I hope your wife is feeling better! Glad you didn't get knocked down with a fever too.

    Congratulations on sending the RiP out again! That's so exciting–best of luck.

    I've always been the type of person not to really pay attention to the word count while I'm writing, unless I'm writing to a specific set of submission guidelines that require a certain min or max length. I think it would be good for you to see where it ends naturally and go from there, even if it is shorter than your usual work. Who knows, a redraft might see it grow, or it may be a case where less is more. Whatever happens, good luck and make the most of the writing process–enjoy it!

    (NO CHRISTMAS CAN'T BE THAT CLOSE I AM NOT PREPARED NO WAIT MY BANK ACCOUNT PLEASE)

  2. Sounds like things are exciting on the writing front. Hopefully the RiP meets some success. I agree that wordcount is less important than getting the story written – and lots of people enjoy novellas.

  3. -Bonnee–she's feeling much better, thanks. I try not to obsess over word count, but in this case, the story *feels* like it should be bigger. It's early yet, there's still time to grow. However, as Nick points out, there's plenty of room for shorter books and novellas; we'll see what this one wants to be! And yes, Christmas is practically here!
    -Stacy–I think the first time I finished this and sent it off to Carrie, I threw down a shot! Tell us when you finish and I'll raise a glass to you!
    -Nick–Always exciting! I am definitely excited about putting this one behind me for a while and working on the WiP. Thanks for reading and commenting!

  4. Hubby does most of our driving – he's a bit of a control freak and I'd rather read or sing along with the radio 🙂

    Good luck with both the WIP and the RIP! exciting times

  5. -Jemi–I like to drive, though I have no problem at all sharing the duties. As I get older, though, it gets harder to do long hauls.
    -Sheena-kay–it's flying now! I already have to think of another post! Have a nice weekend!
    -Donna–thanks!

  6. OMG – you got a lot done! Good luck with subbing! I'm glad you didn't get sick and that your wife recovered pretty quickly. Have a great weekend!

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