I learned pretty early on in my writing life to be careful about posting work online. A lot of venues consider it published, even if you've just posted it for your critique group. So all my work on WDC is only available to members, and as soon as I submit something, I lock it with a passkey. But seeing as the first 5000 words of Assignment 9 have been available on Amazon since I made it through the pitch round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, I see no harm is posting a little of the book here.
So, the interactive part. What I would like to do is write a little today about what I think I've done in the opening chapter of my book. Then, tomorrow, I'll post the opening chapter and you can tell me whether it works the way I think it does. Sound like fun?
So, here goes. What I think.
1. I introduce my main character.
2. I outline the problem my main character has.
3. Another major character is introduced, both to the protagonist and the reader.
4. The chapter finishes with a hook that will hopefully leave readers wanting to read on.
It's a short chapter, but lays the groundwork for what the novel is. Tomorrow I'll post the chapter, and you can let me know if it does what I said it does.
Until then, sayonara.
Sounds like a plan, Kate. Looking forward to reading some of your work tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCool! I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteX K8
I'm finding that too, that agents and editor are very generous with their time. And like you, I'm very careful with what I post online. I was in a forum the other day where I'd been trying to generate some support for a contest where I'm a finalist, and some of the forum participants were trying to get me to post some of my work right there in the forum and getting a little annoyed at me because I kept telling them that I was really not comfortable with the idea. I understand that sometimes, like with ABNA or with the contest I'm in now, Fresh Blood, that a piece of the work is going to get posted, and I think if the end result is worth it, then it's worth the potential risks, but otherwise...not so much.
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, I'm over at WDC too, though I don't participate too actively there anymore. I do love the passkey feature there though. It makes protecting your work so much easier.