Aspiring Novelists

Hello everyone, I hope life is treating you well.  Things are good here in my neck of the woods.  I hired an editor to help get my novel up to par.  No doubt it's going to be a lengthy process, but in the end, I'm sure all my hard work will pay off (gotta remain positive, right?).  While reviewing my novel I got to thinking about each author's process.  What took me two and a half years to write would have taken Stephen King six months.  I read somewhere that he writes eight hours a day, seven days a week.  I've also heard that authors should draft at least a thousand words a day.  Well, I have to dispute this.  I don't think there should be a set rule for writing. What works for one person may not work for another. I don't get caught up in the word count. Instead, I try to concentrate on the quality of work I produce in a day. In order for the words to flow, I have to be well rested ...

First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone who offered words of support on my last post.   I tried to respond, but for some odd reason my remarks kept disappearing into cyber space.  Is anyone else experiencing similar problems?  If so, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know how the issue was resolved. Speaking of my last post, for those who are interested, I had an awesome experience at the JRW conference.  As many of you are aware, I was quite nervous about having to pitch my novel on Saturday.  Well, I'm pleased to report that my meeting went splendidly.  I met with Becca Stumpf, Literary agent with The  Prospect Agency.  She was very approachable, easy to talk to and positive.  Much to my surprise, she requested the first thirty pages of my story.  Although this is the outcome I hoped for, I'm trying not to get too excited just yet...

 For this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group post, hosted by the gracious  Alex J. Cavanaugh ,  I would like to discuss insecurities about pitching my novel.  After two long years of  hard work, I've finally arrived at a place where I'm pleased with my story.  Although this should make me happy, it doesn't.  I can't get rid of that nagging voice in my mind which keeps asking, what if my perceptions are skewed?   There have been times where I wrote a chapter and thought it was brilliant, only to learn it stunk when I read it a couple days later.  What if this is the case with my story?  Although the feedback I've received about my novel has been stellar, I can't help but wonder if the readers were being overly generous. It's possible they stretched the truth in order to save my feelings.  Eve...