DEBORAH CROMBIE: The last several times What We're Writing has rolled around, I've sworn that Kincaid/James #20 was ALMOST finished and that the next time I checked in, I'd be able to show you a neatly typed THE END.
But, no, alas, I am still writing.
The pages are piling up (yes, I do still print manuscript pages, because I always find mistakes in printed copy that I don't see on the screen, and as a "just in case" because even though I back up regularly, digital catastrophes do happen.) I still use the manuscript format I was taught as a very newbie writer, Courier, double-spaced, twenty-five lines a page, which averages 250 words a page. My current page count is 503, or roughly 125 thousand words, and I am imagining the publisher's horror as they are calculating the cost of paper and printing–this is a very big deal.
And I am not finished.
Actually, this book is not all that long for me. The first draft of A KILLING OF INNOCENTS clocked in at 650 pages, which my then-editor happily slashed by a hundred pages, I'm sure making it a much better book in the process. WATER LIKE A STONE was long, as was NECESSARY AS BLOOD, but GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS takes the cake–it was so long that my editor said it should have been two books, and it is my longest published book to date.
I suspect this current book has another 50 or so pages to go, and then we'll see what comes out in the wash, so to speak. It's pretty terrifying, I have to admit, working with a new editor and not really knowing what to expect.
It's also scary, so close to the end, to wonder if the finished book will live up to that "Platonic book" I first conceived. I've filled three spiral notebooks with notes, and now I'm wondering what bits of all those ideas I've left out. And there are so many series characters I love that I just couldn't squeeze into this book–not unless I want it to run double that 500 pages!
I am excited to be so close to the end, and frustrated that I can't write it faster.
And now for some really good news!
Kincaid/James #20 is scheduled for publication in Winter '27! I don't have the exact date yet, but things are moving fast. Cover art is in the works!
And it looks like my working title is going to stand, so the book is called
THE LONG COLD SLEEP
You can see I'm really under the gun!
Dear Reds and readers, how do you feel about long books? I know you can get away with really long novels in sci-fi and fantasy, and in historical fiction or family sagas, but how do you like your crime novels? I worry that if a book isn't long enough, my readers will feel cheated.
I can't imagine any reader feeling "cheated" by one of your books, Debs . . . .
ReplyDeleteHowever many pages it takes to tell the story, I'm good with it. I don't really think about long or short, just that the story gets told in a satisfying manner. Now I'm looking forward to reading "The Long Cold Sleep" . . . .
Please never stop writing!!!
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the 897 page The Hallmarked Man, 8th book in the Cormoran Strike series so I am in when it comes to long books. I wasn’t all that impressed with the very thin paper of the pages, small font size, and light print color which I assume were all cost saving measures. But then again, the hardcover was heavy enough with the thin paper.
ReplyDeleteTell the story you need to tell and don’t worry about the page or word count.
I can be daunted by long books - I've had Margaret Atwood's memoir on my coffee table for six months and haven't opened it. But your books, Debs? I know I won't be able to put it down, so long won't scare me off.
ReplyDelete