Tayari's Blog: 100 pages down...700 pages to go
Posted by TayariJones on November 1, 2006 09:51 PM
Filed under
Writing
I am happy to announce that I have written 100 pags of my new novel. Right now, it's called THE BIGAMIST'S DAUGHTERS. (And, to the helpful souls that will write in: I already know about that other book with a similar title. I'm deciding what I think about that.)
Anyway, I have 100 good-looking pages here. And to think that I only had to write 287 not-so-good pages to get them. For me, this represents and increase in efficiency. For The Untelling, I wrote about 1,400 pages to get 324.
I am imagining this to be a 350 page novel and I am hoping to write about 800 pages to get 350 that are useable. This used to break my heart, all these discarded pages, but I've kind of accepted that this is just the way I work.
But the point is that I am at page 100. The 187 discarded pages are behind me. They are stored in the same emotional drawer with bad ex-boyfriends: I learned. I moved on. So let's raise a glass to the present.
And then tommorrow, it's time to set out on page 101.
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There are 5 comments on "100 pages down...700 pages to go". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by KLB ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
This awareness about the process seems like a gift, one that is sharpened and shined with practice. It also provides hope that by repeating the process, a similar outcome might be repeated.
November 2, 2006 07:17 AM
Comment #2, by kpdreams
Hi Tayari:
Congrats on your first 100 pages. You are such an inspiration. I have a lot of people in my life who question me OFTEN about how far along I am in writing my novel. When I say that I'm not that far, they look at me incredulously like maybe writing isn't for me, because I haven't just opened my eyes one morning and banged out an entire novel.
Sometimes I wish I could print out your blog for them and say, See. Good writing takes time! Get off of my back! lol
I'm sure your book will be wonderful. I'm glad you are thinking about the title. I know of two recent books with a similar title. At the same time, I'm sure that your book will not have any problem standing out.
Kizzy~
November 2, 2006 08:38 AM
Comment #3, by Nikki
Ah, looking forward to reading this once it hits the shelves.
November 2, 2006 12:27 PM
Comment #4, by Ladylee
kpdreams said it best with
"...because I haven't just opened my eyes one morning and banged out an entire novel"
For the longest time, that is what I thought novelists did: get up one morning, have a most glorious idea, sit down at the computer and write it all out in one perfect spotless draft. I learned from you Tayari that that ain't true! Writing takes time and patience...
I can feel your excitement in your post. You know what I think: Shoot, anything you write--a book, a story, a piece of haiku, a grocery list, the freakin' alphabet-- is all GOOD... LOL!!
Can't wait to read it!!
November 2, 2006 01:21 PM
Comment #5, by Judy
Your comments reminded me of the time I read The Hours by Michael Cunningham. The writing is so clearly breathtaking, I found myself saying, "What am I doing trying to be a writer?!" Then I watched the trailer to the picture and he said, "My first draft was so bad I practically threw the entire thing in the garbage" (or words to that effect). I thought, "Yeah, right. This kind of writing doesn't just flow from the mind through the pen fully formed. Maybe I will do this writing thing after all.
It's good for those of us, as yet unknown writers, to hear from the great ones, like you Tayari, just what the process entails -- whether you've published two books or none. Big-time congratulations on those first 100 pages. Now I gotta go and take a look at that dress -- and of course da shoes!
November 3, 2006 01:11 PM