11.19.2010

What's All This NaNonsense?

And now... it's time for Real Quote of the Day!

"Note to self: write something interesting before the first 22 pages have passed."

Now this was said sarcastically to my husband, but actually it's good advice. See, the context of this comment of mine was him giving me grief for never having finished The Darkness That Comes Before. I had tried to read it (on his recommendation) about two years ago, but was so bored that I gave up (you guessed it) 22 pages in. How do I know it was 22 pages in? Because today he made it a point to go look for the last thing I remembered reading and then point out to me that if I had just read a little longer I'd have reached the part with an epic wizard battle.

Well maybe that epic wizard battle should have happened about six pages sooner, hmm?

It's a valid point, I think. If I'm writing a book that I would like to read, then I'd better get the party started at a point before the page-number where I, as a reader, would be likely to bail. You know, just in case my readers are as short in the attention span as I am.

Now, I've promised Nathan that I will in fact go back and once again try to read the book, and because I am a dutiful wife I will do so. And it's possible that I will stick to it this time and will be rewarded with the part wherein Things Become Interesting.

But in the meantime, I'll make certain Something Happens before page 22 of my book.

(No excerpt tonight, but I have topped 42,000 words, as well as come up with a super-exciting plot twist. Nathan has dubbed it "clever", and he's picky, so it must be good.)

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