HEY MODS OR SOMEONE DELETE THIS

Hey, Origley,

We should talk about writing stuff some time. Even though you're a baby (figuratively speaking, I mean, I think of myself at age 15 as baby Max) and I'm a published writer with a BA in Creative Writing, I think there's probably stuff I could learn from you as well as the reverse.

I'll be honest, though. I am probably not going to have time to read your novel. At present, my free time (effectively all your time is free time when you're unemployed, but I mean my self-appointed FREE free time) is being devoured by other geeky pursuits. However, I still have some things to say you might find helpful.

First off, good size. 75,500 words is much closer to to the length at which publishers are going to take a risk on buying a first novel than any of the novel-length (and up, up, up) works I've written. My only viable, completed novel which I wrote when I was a little older than you is more than twice that in length.

I think it is interesting that you are seeking out an agent as a first step towards publication. It is not my plan, but it is not necessarily a bad one, if the novel is one that sells itself, or if you are a fucking WHIZ with query letters. I am curious, though, have you sold any short stories to magazines? I'd obviously be mucho impressed if you had at your age but I mean if you're querying New York agents then obviously you are a bit of a prodigy, so if you have, how many stories have you sold? I mention this because my plan, inherited from one of my last professors, is...sell 5 short stories, write novel, get agent on strength of published short stories, use agent to sell novel.

On the same topic, here is some majorly important advice, DO NOT POST THIS HERE. At most, an excerpt of up to the first three chapters, but even that would be rather ill advised. Trust me on this, it is common knowledge that publishers (and by extension, for reasons that are a bit intricate, agents) do not like it when the product that they might consider buying for the purpose of selling to others is available anywhere for free. And yes, it is not at all unlikely for them to find out. One of the first thing a publisher or agent will do if they're interested in your work is google the shit out of it to check for plagiarism or amateurish stuff like putting this up here. Yes, of couse, maybe 9/10 publishers/agents don't give SHIT ONE about your stuff being up on some obscure internet forum, but it's worth not having it here just for the one who might. There's no need to take unnecessary chances.

If you don't feel this is GOOD enough to sell, that is a different situation entirely, and I encourage you to use this forum and any others you frequent to harvest as much feedback as you can.

Anyway, good to have a fellow serious writer on the forums and congrats on finishing a novel, I know exactly how hard that is to do! : )

Nicely done, I shall check this out.

You are not allowed to delete topics because I am a big fan of historical data.