First novel?

[EMMAXIS]

That's exactly what she did.

I can't say for certain how other writers think, but as for me, the book usually isn't any good until I really hate it. I can't stand looking at my own work. It's like putting inspiration in a blender then reworking it to death until you don't recognize it anymore and don't remember why you cared in the first place. But that's just my technique.

 

[EMMAXIS]

But if I conform to that, how can I be sure that will still be what they are buying in 2-3 years? (It easily could be that long before my first novel is ready to shop.)

This is truly the great dilemma all writers must eventually deal with: the business side vs. the art side. I know there are writers out there who don't even begin writing until they manage to find a hook that appeals to agents/publishers. These are not artists, in my opinion. Write what you are passionate about, what drives you. If you sell something that isn't you, why bother to write at all? I have learned, the hard way, that the very best art often comes out of a confluence of both the need for money and the need for self expression. Find that balance without losing your soul.


Nick Alimonos