How's About Another Book?

Finished some final work on The Klown Kroo. Nothing major. Corrected a few typos, rewrote some awkward sentences, added a few paragraphs here and there, eliminated redundancies. Most importantly, I added a thematically necessary paragraph to the epilogue. All in all, I think the manuscript is about as good as it's going to get and ready to be perused by an editor. I've queried quite a few publishers, so now it's just a waiting game to see who will respond.

In the meantime, I have continued writing Deep Water. I finished the first chapter and worked a little bit on the second. Already had the pleasure of writing a really disturbing dream sequence. The book stands at 5,369 words.

Queries and Queries. I mean Queries.

Queried more publishers. Heard back from one, but not sure if I want to send them the full manuscript or wait to hear from others. Publishing etiquette demands that while simultaneous queries are okay, simultaneous submission of manuscripts is not. I might wait to hear from one of the big boys. Here are the latest publishers to be queried:

TOR
Ace/Roc Science Fiction & Fantasy
Edge Publishing

Queries

The publishers I've queried about The Klown Kroo:

Silverthought
Knightwatch
All Things That Matter Press
Dark Quest Books
ChiZine Publishing

They are all smaller presses, but next I step it up a notch. I will be sending a query packet to Tor on Monday. Then Baen. Then we's go on from there.

Another Novel, Peeps

I sent out a few queries for The Klown Kroo. That means a cover letter, synopsis and three sample chapters. We'll see if anyone bites. In the meantime, I have begun another, yes another, novel. In 2001, while living in Colonial Arms Inn, newly married and in close proximity to a Fendley, I wrote a novel called Deep Water. It was almost, and I mean almost, bought by a Canadian publishing house, but they ultimately sent it back. I no longer have a copy of the completed manuscript, but I remember the story well, and it could be much, much better.

I am going to write that much, much better version of Deep Water. Tonight, I wrote the first 1000 words. It's a fantasy novel with a jacked-up premise that unfolds with ever increasing bleakness. All will love it.

The Clown Who Falls Down

Completed another revision of The Klown Kroo. Lots of trims here and there to make chunky prose read more smoothly. But I also added a couple of scenes, which pushed the overall length of the novel to 123,760 words. Specifically, Karl aka Touches got a new poignant scene, and Vern got a new disturbing scene. I want to go back and reread the first few pages, though. I still think the opening paragraphs need work. The rest of it is pretty good, though.

First Draft Stats

120,882 was the final word count. That puts it at 288 printed pages, but I estimate that in paperback form that would be somewhere around 400 pages. I printed it out at the office this morning, and I'm on my way to give it to the proofreader.

First Drafty

Did a cursory read through of the manuscript, fixing spelling errors and glaringly poor sentence structure. That means the first draft us now complete. I will format it and print it tomorrow at the office. Then Lisa gets to read it and give me feedback. Overall, I think it turned out pretty good.

Finito!

It's done! The first draft of Klown Kroo is done! I spent most of the week at a conference in Dallas, but I still managed to attain my goal of at least 2,000 words a day. Finally got home late this evening, finished the last chapter and epilogue. Long live Klowns!

Now, the long, arduous process of rewriting and polishing can begin....eep!

Anywho, the final chapter list turned out to be:

1-Audition
2-Gooty
3-Unpleasant Introductions
4-Debris on the Highway
5-Scabs in All Directions
6-Whiteface, Auguste, Contra-Auguste and Ringmaster
7-Blood on the Stage
8-Refund
9-Everything Must Burn
10-There's Stories and Then There's Stories
11-A Friendly Sort of Place
12-The Show Must Go On
13-The Clown Who Falls Down
14-Gun-Rubes
15-The Fire Inside
16-Ever-Night
17-All Kinds of Doomed
18-Every Rube in the World
19-A Deeper Level of Bad
20-A Long Ride
21-Tockland
22-Wormwood
23-Destiny
24-Angel of Death
25-Out of the Wreckage, A Vision
Epilogue-A Brand New Show

Death

I am in Dallas for the rest of the week for a conference. I knew it would be tricky finding time to write, but I still managed to hit my goal. Wrote 2,050 words tonight in the hotel room. I am done with chapter 23 and onto chapter 24 (called "Angel of Death"). Two more chapters to the end. Man, chapter 23 was bloody and dark, but it had to happen. Next chapter will be pure, unfiltered catastrophe.

Blonf

108,790 is the word count tonight. Cakey and Disturby are living the dream. I'm writing myself into a tricky situation, where they have to fight their way through an impossibly dangerous building to get to a well-guarded room. Time to bend the laws of physics and mortality. Tomorrow, I leave town for a few days, but I shall bring the laptop and attempt to keep up the writing pace. So close to the glorious end. So close. Three chapters remain.

Breef

I'll keep it brief tonight because it's late. Wrote 2,635 words tonight. 106, 471 words total. A big secret was revealed and now destiny is on the verge of being fully embraced. That's all I can say about the story, at this point, but I look forward to the absolute mayhem and carnage and Cakey-ness that will occur in the very next section (which I will write tomorrow). G'night, moon friends.

Pewdy

Broke a new record this evening by writing almost 3,600 words. The Klown Kroo now stands at 103,836. The secretest thing of all was revealed in the story today, which we daren't speak of at this time. Almost done with the Wormwood chapter, and then I will be onto chapter twenty three, which will be called "Destiny." Here is the relevant quote by Cakey: "I feel destiny welling up inside of me, folks." This will be accompanied by knives, guns, flipping and flopping and leaping and kicking and biting. I am mentally prepared to write it even now as we speak.

Marbles

It's onto chapter twenty the second, which is titled, "Wormwood." I wrote nigh on 2,300 words today, some in the afternoon, some right now here at the lateness of night. In all, Klown Kroo now stands at 100,244 words. Only a few more chapters left. All that remains is for the big secret to be revealed, and then a terrible, violent destiny to be fulfilled. And then our Klown Kroo's adventures will be at a glorious end.

Blood on Silver Tile

A fight to the death occurred. Also, a cruel murder and the threat of another. Blood, knives, black capes, silver stars and mechanisms, those are the things I wrote about tonight. The Klown Kroo now stands at 97,890 words. Yes, I wrote just a hair under 3,000 words tonight. Man, this current chapter is exhaustingly ruthless. If and when they make the movie, this will be the scene where people squirm and feel emotional diarrhea. But, never fear, powerful redeeming things are potentially inevitable. We'll see.

Woids

A fight to the death is one paragraph away from happening. General Joseph Mattock has walked onto the stage. 95,011 words have now been written about Klowns and their Kroo. How many words remain? I know not. Five chapters, perhaps. Possibly six. Cakey can feel destiny welling up inside of him. Disturby is set to bust loose and go crazy-go-nuts. Also, deaths.

Mustard

Just keeping track for accountability's sake. Just finished chapter twenty, starting on chapter twenty one. Book stands at 92,527 words. Chapter Twenty is called "A Long Ride." Chapter Twenty One is called "Tockland." At last, the loveliest of all terrible persons will appear.

Tockland

90,096 words is where we stand, even now as we speak. Things are moving into the endgame. Clowns are on their way to Tockland, where every terrible and wonderful thing will finally come to pass. Chapter Twenty, "Greener Pastures," is what I done wrote this evening.

Moon Beans

Just wrote 2,700 words this evening. Maybe the new daily goal should be 3,000 words. Probably not. Don't want to move too fast, or I might not think through the plot carefully enough. Nevertheless, The Klown Kroo currently stands at a total of 86,000 words.

Word

83,050 is the word count tonight. Finished chapter eighteen. Wrote just a tiny bit of chapter nineteen, which is called "A Deeper Level of Bad." The section I wrote tonight was one extended street fight, clowns vs. rubes, with lots of stabbing and blood and terrible things happening. So that should be interesting. How will a man of my profession ever get away with publishing this book? I know not. But I'm willing to find out.

Steam

A gathering of steam occurred throughout the e'en. Writing started off slow. Churned my way through a few paragraphs in the afternoon. Then sat down in the evening, after the kids went to bed, to work on it some more. It came slowly at first, then it got going and, before you know it, I had exceeded the goal handily. The novel now stands at 80,530 words.