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So, um, I have chapters one through nine of Ametris printed out and stapled to a notebook. That's about 114 MS Word pages, and the spiral was a 70 sheet...it's about an inch and a half thick. I want people to read it, to get their opinions. People take one look at it and say:

eek Uh, maybe later.

And they give it back after a few minutes, saying:

Oh, I got bored

or

Oh, it's too long.


Bored I can understand. I'm working on it, guys. But too long?


Okay, my school is full of stupid people. Actually, about twenty of them are smarter than me (out of maybe 120 GRR BAD KIRBY, I used to be #2 or 3, but anyway--) which I don't understand, because they don't READ. They probably CAN'T. The class average is about 4 pages a day when we have required reading: between those of us who read the entire book in three hours (coughCarolineandmecough) and those of us who don't read at all, it's a nice balance.

These are the kind of people that take the little half-centimeter thick, 12 or 14 pt font books--with pictures--and read them over a week or two, when I read them in an hour straight. In fact, an hour is probably way too long for these books. Like Roald Dahl's, or Lois Duncan's (some of hers). These are the kinds of people that only read what's required, maybe a few chick-flick novels once in a while, maybe--if we're lucky--a harry potter here and there.



But I'm the kind of person that eats good literature for breakfast. I'm the kind of person that appreciated a well-written story long before I ever dreamed of becoming a writer. I'm the kind of person that learns how to read before pre-k (hell, i didn't even go to pre-k, I was that damn brilliant.) I'm the kind of person that is less likely to cry over the tragic death of a great character, but more likely to cry over the end of that super-amazing book. I don't like a good book when it ends. It makes me sad, and mad, and mostly bored.

It was once my dream to find a book that lasted forever (Neverending Story, ha ha). Like, you could just keep reading it. And people would always ask you what you were reading and you'd never have to think about it (I get confused sometimes, I read two or three books at once) because you answer that every time. A book not like the one in HP2 ("And one old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed...") that you could never put down, but a book that you wouldn't WANT to put down...a story that just never stopped.

Guys, you gotta admit, that would be pretty frikkin' cool.

Okay, maybe not a book that it would take you years and years to read (Kirby's heart is bursting with joy at the thought) but at least a very long book, enough to keep you busy for months at a time...imagine all the harry potter books crammed into one. Yeah, that long. That's about three thousand pages. (Kirby's heart flipped heart ) I wish that there was a book like that, even if I was the only one who would read it, simply because I never want a good story to end!!!

But, as Toni Morrison says:

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

And I kind of...did that....involuntarily. Ametris is about 1/4 done (maybe less) and it's already 110k words...using flick's thingy, that's already 440 pages in a novel. Which means the finished thing would be over 1600 pages....

Honestly...would any of you really read it, despite the length? Or give up on it because of the length? And I mean with any book, not just mine. Any really good book.

So, I'm writing the neverending story...I could make it shorter if I wanted, but it would be like tearing my heart into pieces. So my question is:

Would it really be all that bad?


Sorry for the rant, guys. redface

heart
~Kirby



Incidentally, you can't skip kindergarten. Apparently, life's greatest lessons are learned in those crowded little rooms. Huh. Learn something new every day. doncha?

To the sidenote: Thank you. ^^ And it's in WIP forum, you can read it anytime. I don't have enough fans if you ask me, only five or so. And it does get interesting after chapter seven. Chapters 1-7 have a lot going on, but I've been told it's too long for a beginning...

You skipped kindergarten? stare ooh, you're so evil, wish I could've.

Short books are good, and long books are bad. Length does not determine the quality. But see, if a book is good, do you really want it to end so quickly? Wouldn't you rather it carried on a little more (in a good way, of course, not too drawn out) so you won't have to be rid of it so fast?

'Cause I read books fast, and it's so weird to me, and kinda sad, that some people only read a book once and never again. They don't get the great feelings the book gives them--adrenaline or passion or whatever it might be--like I do when I read again. So for them, it's over forever...soooo sad....

I won't make it long just to be long, but if it turns out that way naturally (which I'm sure it will) then I won't let anyone mess with it. Gods know it's got enough in it to make three novels. rolleyes

and, WHY DOES THIS MATTER? POINT? isn't terribly offensive, really. Just...in caps it might be. sweatdrop

C'mon, Kirby. I'd read it if it was 160000 pages. I like long books. Not only that, but editors often cut junk out, so the finished product might actually be shorter.

You'd like the ending for Lacausta, the last book in my series. To put it lightly, time turns backwards, nothing ever happened, the heroes are left going crazy because no one remembers but them, in love but they can't do anything about it, scared out of their minds half the time, permanently injured and seriously suicidal.

And everyone in the world thinks they're great heroes, noble and honored blah blah blah, because they got lucky. And then died.

Good ending, I think. Only way, logically--no one oculd live (or whatever) through that and stay the same.

If I had to write something mean on the margins, I would say, "Excuse me, was that English?" or "I think you've forgotten how to write, good luck with that."

If people are saying that it's too long, the problem might be that something in the story is dragging. If there are things that don't need to be in a story and are just filler, people will want to skip over it or stop reading altogether. Try to shave down superfluous stuff.

six chapters of intro, huh? well...that sounds pretty boring to me. i'll admit, i haven't gotten to Ametris yet at all (and i'm about to start school soon, so i doubt i'll get time to read it much--i'm already working on a summer project i didn't know i had scream )

i dunno, six chapters of intro might not be bad, but one thing that i think is pretty important when writing is not just telling about the person. No one wants to read this: "her name was suizie, she liked dogs. dogs made her happy, she'd had the same dog since she was ten. what would she do without him? Rufus was her best friend, a chocolate lab who slurped when he drank water. sometimes they would run in the backyard with each other, each almost outrunning the other only to fall behind." etc etc for 17 pages about this stupid dog only to find out that the dog wasn't that important anyway (i'm SURE it does not sound like this; it's just for the sake of example)

I'll tell you this: the second hardest part of writing Ashes was making the characters different than each other in a mostly compatible way (the ones who are compatible, anyway), without just telling about them. instead of doing intros, i've opted to tell about the character through what he/she does, says, gestures, thinks, wonders about, and what the OTHER characters say and do around said character.

i think our books are different, though, because yours seems more long-haul epic story, whereas mine is more "rips your heart out and eats it while dragging you into the minds of characters who don't even DO anything". I intend to make people sympathize with these characters--all of them, even the bad guy, even the guy they don't know really at all. i hope to make my readers cry. that sounds mean, but it shows that i've written something so intense that their inhibitions were blown.

Ametris, on the other hand, sounds very fun to read, lol. i'll have to print it out and read it in my spare time, after i'm finished with Delany's Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand. i'm not sure how long that will take, though.

and geebus i have rambled.

hum, in a nutshell: when you're done with the story, maybe you should leave it alone for a while and then come back to it (i do this with my drawings--they usually don't look as good as i thought, but occasionally they do). it will help to lessen the kind of obsession that an artist/writer gets with his/her work; it's a love and it's very short-lived, i've found. but when you come back to it, you'll know if your intro is too long or superfluous. if it is, then you'll have to do some serious editing and revising, if not, then good job: you did it right the first time!

not that i'm an expert or anything......................

I'd name them. It's what I do in my spare time. Come up with random titles, anyway. xd People think I'm weird or something. Wherever would they get that idea?

Your karma sucks? I'm confused.