Let's
all take a deep breath, aiight?
So, I understand the title of this post is overly dramatic, but .. I've been waiting for soo long to write this, so..
I don't usually do personal posts like these, where I update you guys on my life, because let's face it: Unless I adopt a unicorn-dragon hybrid, chances are it's not interesting enough to post.
But since that is not going to happen in the near future, my plan B was to make a dedicated post once I finish my book.
So yes, I JUST FINISHED MY BOOK!
Some of you know I was already writing one. I started working on the book mid-July, although if we're being precise, I've been brainstorming for almost six months now, if not more. There was a lot of writing and rewriting.. and then some more rewriting. I would start a project, and then 14000 words in, I would give up, and start all over again. This had to do a lot with my indecisiveness. Then, summer came along, and I finally had enough time, and I put my head to it. On average, I wrote about 2K a day, which is not so bad if you think about it. Three months and 93K words later, I was done.
So what now?
Well, I don't exactly know. I think the best course of action is to start editing the hell out of it, and while I'm at it, contact a few agents and publishers. I'll also start looking for beta readers. I've never had any real feedback on my writing (except the ones I share here, which most of you have been awesome about), so this is nerve wrecking.
So I'm going with traditional publishing?
So, I understand the title of this post is overly dramatic, but .. I've been waiting for soo long to write this, so..
I don't usually do personal posts like these, where I update you guys on my life, because let's face it: Unless I adopt a unicorn-dragon hybrid, chances are it's not interesting enough to post.
But since that is not going to happen in the near future, my plan B was to make a dedicated post once I finish my book.
So yes, I JUST FINISHED MY BOOK!
(This is an actual snapshot of the book).
So what now?
Well, I don't exactly know. I think the best course of action is to start editing the hell out of it, and while I'm at it, contact a few agents and publishers. I'll also start looking for beta readers. I've never had any real feedback on my writing (except the ones I share here, which most of you have been awesome about), so this is nerve wrecking.
So I'm going with traditional publishing?
Again, I haven't made up my mind. I've always wanted to go with self publishing, because I figured it would be more fun and I'd have more control over my book, but I'm leaving that as a last resort. I think I'm going to spend the first month or so editing and querying, and submitting.
OK, dumbass, we still don't know what you're book is about..
Sheesh, interviewer-me is harsh, yo. So first thing first:, the title of the book: Andalus. This is the name of the city through which most of the events take place. Category wise, it's High Fantasy (medieval).
The title of the book is subject to change, because even though Andalus is purely fictional, Andalusia is not. Andalus is the Arabic derivative of it, and it was used to address Spain, Portugal, and southern France in medieval times, and along with Ferdaws (heaven), it's one of my favourite Arabic names ever.
I wish I could write a synopsis for the book, but I genuinely suck at those. Big time.
Final words before we pull the plug on you?
Wait, why are you going to pull the plug? This is MY blog.
You're wasting valuable time..
OK, ok fine. I want to thank you awesome people who read my blog, because frankly, without your thoughtful comments, and your general encouragement, I would have never done this.
If any of you have questions or advice, throw'em at me.
I'll leave you with a gif of Chris Hemsworth, because that is how much I love ya'll.
OK, dumbass, we still don't know what you're book is about..
Sheesh, interviewer-me is harsh, yo. So first thing first:, the title of the book: Andalus. This is the name of the city through which most of the events take place. Category wise, it's High Fantasy (medieval).
The title of the book is subject to change, because even though Andalus is purely fictional, Andalusia is not. Andalus is the Arabic derivative of it, and it was used to address Spain, Portugal, and southern France in medieval times, and along with Ferdaws (heaven), it's one of my favourite Arabic names ever.
I wish I could write a synopsis for the book, but I genuinely suck at those. Big time.
Final words before we pull the plug on you?
Wait, why are you going to pull the plug? This is MY blog.
You're wasting valuable time..
OK, ok fine. I want to thank you awesome people who read my blog, because frankly, without your thoughtful comments, and your general encouragement, I would have never done this.
If any of you have questions or advice, throw'em at me.
I'll leave you with a gif of Chris Hemsworth, because that is how much I love ya'll.
Exciting news! I think that's quite an accomplishment to write that much, and in such a short period of time. Based on how creative and crazy your blog is, I can only imagine what goes on in your story! Part of me wants to demand you to send me a copy of your story to beta-read, but the other part says I can't commit myself because I already have so much to do and so many things in the work. But, I'm super excited to hear more! <3
Ahhhh, this is so cool! Congratulations, Reem! I'm so proud of you. :) And it sounds interesting, what little tidbits you've shared with us anyway. You're much more dedicated than I am. I'm truly impressed that you've written so much in only a few months! I wish you the best of luck with editing, querying, etc. :)
Eeek - congrats, Reem! I knew you'd been writing a book, but I never really knew what it was about until now, and like Kelley said, those little snippets? Totally had me intrigued... even if I didn't always comment. *sheepish grin* Anyway, before you start querying and looking around for agents, go and CELEBRATE. Buy a book for yourself, go and eat at your favorite restaurant - do you something to celebrate this day!
I've been working on my book for about two months, and it's nowhere close to finished, so I'm feeling a bit disappointed, because everyone seems to be able to find the time to write SO QUICKLY.
This isn't about me, though. *hugs* So proud of you. If you ever need beta readers, I'd gladly help you read through the book, though I can't guarantee a fast critique, unfortunately. Still. This is so exciting. I'm friends with a future author! *jig*
P.S. CHRIS HEMSWORTH.
Aw, congrats Reem! It must be book finishing season--one of my close IRL friends just finished her manuscript yesterday too! (Psh, making my measly 25K words Act 1 look like the appetizer). LOVE that it's high fantasy! I hope you celebrate for a bit before jumping right into revision! Good luck revisions, editing, querying, and ALL of that!
Congratulations Reem! This is such a great accomplishment! I'm so excited that it's high fantasy because that is one of my favourite genres. All the short stories you posted here were great so I really can't wait what you have in store for us! Good luck with the rest!
And thanks for Chris Hemsworth! ;)
Aww, thanks Asti! <3 And yeah, even though I know bloggers would be the best at giving feedback, I think I'll refrain from asking any, because I know how ridiculously busy our schedules are. Some can't afford to waste a week or two reading a book they can't review on their blogs.
That doesn't mean I won't spam you if I ever do get published *sigh*. My plans include sending you a real size cart board cut out of my self, because .... you know.. I says so *flips hair*.
Trust me, I'm the biggest procrastinator in the history of all procrastinator. I was just having a lot of free time on my hand. But thank you, nonetheless <3!!!
Yes, and I can't wait for the same post on Adrift On Vulcan. Pwetty pwetty please? And I totally get you going slow with the progress. I was the same when I started out. You know what helped me get over this? Scrivener. It is genuinly the awesomest of all awesome thing. And also, Stay Focused. it's this app that disables the internet for a while. It helped with my attention span :P
And trust me, I used to ogle at someone mentioning they wrote 2K per day, but all it takes is practice.
Awww that's sweet of you <3 I know your exams are coming up soon, though. Mid october, am I right?
YES CHRIS HEMSWORTH!!
Thanks, Stormy <3!!! And this is soo awesome! I wish her all the luck. And seriously? 25K is a LOT. Manuscripts can go as little as 60K, so you may have just hit the mid mark ;) Plus, the first half is always the hardest to write, put that in mind. The rest is a piece of cake.. just like Chris Hemsworth *sigh*
Awww thank you!! <3 The feedback I got from this blog is the reason I started writing in the first place, so I owe you guys :)
And oh, Chris? He's a gift to humanity, not just you guys :P
Congratulations! This is such fantastic news! I can't wait to find out more about it! :D
Congratulations Reem! I wish you all the best with editing, querying and beta-reading!
I am both in shock and awe right now. Congrats! I've been working on my book for over 5 months and I am no where close to being done. CONGRATULATIONS! Like what many others are saying, go celebrate!! :)
OMG congrats! I haven't been following your blog for very long, so didn't know about you writing a book, but woah HIGH FANTASY! I loves me some high fantasy :D
Yayee, I'm so glad that you finished your book. This is a very good news. Congratulations! Yayee for high fantasy and wow, 93K words? I'm jealous and awe-inspired.
We always spell Ferdaws as Firdous so that threw me a bit but I pretty much know your book is going to rock because you wrote it! Looking forward to see what you decide to do now. =D
Aww thanks Arial <3 I'll keep you guys updated in the weekly recaps ;)
Thaanks Michelle!! <3 Soo sweet of you :)
I wouldn't worry about it, though. I was reaaally slow when I started out, but I got used to writing more and more each day. A little encouragement like music (or food!) should do :P
And thank you <3!!
Thaanks <3!! Ha! It's my favourite genre, so when the idea first came to me, I threw it into a medieval era :D
I couldn't believe one author when he said he'd finished his book within a similar time frame, but you know what? It's really not that hard. You just get used to having a dedicated time for writing :D
Yup, the correct spelling is Ferdous, especially in Arabic letters, but the "aws" part is how we pronounce it. Maybe it's the Egyptian dialect?
I am willing to go through crap, unneeded sentences, poorly chosen words, and characters being stupid for the sake of having the honor of being chosen as a beta reader. *gets a sheet of paper* Here's my application: please do note that I don't have MS Word, so I can't leave comments in the doc, but take note of the part where I mention I know how to use Chat.
And I'm interested in this high fantasy you speak of. :D
(You are not allowed to say no to my request to be your beta reader. And before you sit there thinking, "I MUST SAY YES," you can ignore it altogether. *winks*)
I'm hoping that day will come soon! Ooh, and I'll check out Scrivener. Don't think I've heard of it, but thanks for the tip. :D Staying focus is incredibly hard, because I have the attention span of an ant.
Thank God, no! It's next year May/June.
That's awesome! CONGRATS!!! I really like the title <3
I VOLUNTEER AS A BETA-READER. I already said that, but just a reminder (I suspect I'm annoying right now, but if it lets me read your book early, I wont stop : D hahaha).
I kind of admire you right now, you know? I admired you before because your posts are always creative, but now that you've finished a book and I think we're the same age (I'll be 18 next month)... I've tried before because I was excited, but I kept quitting because "I had a better idea". It never really worked.
Anyway. I'm genuinely happy for you and I'll be sending you all the good luck I have when you start contacting agents and publishers <33
This.is.the.best thing ever!! Thank you Shannelle!! So sweet of you :) And OK, I'm not allowed to refuse (AS IF I WILL!) :P
Thanks Cayce!! <333
Gahhh, your comments are just.. gahh!! <33
Just so you know, whenever I was having a hard time going ahead with my book, I'd return to the short stories and read the comments you left there :P They were always amazingly encouraging!! And yes, we're pretty much the same age (a year apart).
Thank you x10000000 (x1000 more).
... BETA READER? Oh no you don't need to hunt for one. I WAVE AT YOU AND HOPE YOU SEE THE UNDERLYING MEANING BEHIND--
I want to read it, lets just say :----)
OMG Reem, you are such an amazing, talented writer, and I am so happy that you got it finished! Sometimes I can't believe you're just about my age, and I really hope that wherever this book takes you, its on a path paved with success! And it will be I know <3 If you can get nitpicky readers like me thinking your blog is the bomb diggity of bomb diggities...
Well lets just say I love you, and I love your writing. So yeah, looking forward to... you know, reading it :>
Congratulations sweetie.
Dammit, you're bringing the feels!!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Like, seriously! AND YOU THINK MY BLOG IS THE BOMG DIGGITY!! That's all I needed in life. Screw education or degrees. Jasmine thinks my blog is the bomb diggity!!
Yaaay!! I'll let you know once I'm done with the editing. I send some people chapter by chapter, but that can get hectic, so I don't know :D
Thanks, Nevey!!
You are so much welcome.
I wish if I can read your book very soon ;) .
Sure! I can send you a copy one I'm done editing.
You wrote a book?!?!?!?!?! THAT´S MIND-BLOWINGLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I discovered your blog only about a week ago but I would LOVE to read your book!!!! You definetly had to write where I could get a copie!!!!!!!!!!!
Yaaay!! Thank you so much, Viktoria! I'll definitely make a huge post once it's published. For now, I'm still editing it and whatnot.
Editing ... I exactly now what you mean =D. I am a "writer" , too (very young with lot of space for improving) but when I read whatever part of my "for-training" book I lost myself in editing almost every part =D of it. Good luck! looking for your huge post ;)
Wonderful :) .