I am currently in the process of rewriting my first novel, Crossblade. I find that the work is both exciting and grueling. Here's why.
Crossblade (aka Paladin) was the first novel I ever completed. Then I finished Millard Island, and subsequently Brothers of the Blade. This is great and all, but after a few discussions with peers about the book, they (as well as I) came to the conclusion that Crossblade, while a decent bok in its own right, strays too far from the fantasy genre that I had entered.
I love Crossblade as its my darling, but in Stephen King's On Writing, he talks about killing your darlings, and not being attached. So true. The book went in many directions, with one of those directions being away from the fantasy genre and even into western fiction, with a bit of steampunk built in. How's that for a genre killer?
Now, I get that some books break genres, or they cross two, maybe even three, but what I found is that a majority of my readers found the book too jarring: it crossed too many lines.
I've learned that people coming to the fantasy genre to read fantasy want eaxtly that. Not a steampunk/fantasy/western/sci-fi thing.
I understand that not all book can be contained within one category, but a reader to the genre comes with a certain expectation. Most can put up with a little line-blurring, but I not only blurred the line - I smeared the lines into a muddy swatch.
For anyone that has read the book from Smashwords, when it is updated (and I'll post it here) you can download the new version free from the site. If you purchased it from Amazon, they should tell you. I still have some work to do it. When it's done, I'll be sure to let you know.
Crossblade (aka Paladin) was the first novel I ever completed. Then I finished Millard Island, and subsequently Brothers of the Blade. This is great and all, but after a few discussions with peers about the book, they (as well as I) came to the conclusion that Crossblade, while a decent bok in its own right, strays too far from the fantasy genre that I had entered.
I love Crossblade as its my darling, but in Stephen King's On Writing, he talks about killing your darlings, and not being attached. So true. The book went in many directions, with one of those directions being away from the fantasy genre and even into western fiction, with a bit of steampunk built in. How's that for a genre killer?
Now, I get that some books break genres, or they cross two, maybe even three, but what I found is that a majority of my readers found the book too jarring: it crossed too many lines.
I've learned that people coming to the fantasy genre to read fantasy want eaxtly that. Not a steampunk/fantasy/western/sci-fi thing.
I understand that not all book can be contained within one category, but a reader to the genre comes with a certain expectation. Most can put up with a little line-blurring, but I not only blurred the line - I smeared the lines into a muddy swatch.
For anyone that has read the book from Smashwords, when it is updated (and I'll post it here) you can download the new version free from the site. If you purchased it from Amazon, they should tell you. I still have some work to do it. When it's done, I'll be sure to let you know.
Crossblade Rewrite Currently in Progress