That Word Count Thing...

I see a lot of writer's group posts about getting inspired by authorial talks and going off and churning out mass quantities of words. (Not to mention the whole NaNoWriMo phenomenon). Unfortunately, quantity is not always bliss.

Here is an alternative perspective, from that of an agented author trying to ready his manuscript for submission NY editors. A major challenge with Arisugawa Park has involved paring down the length of a complex narrative focused on Japan & North Korea.

It seems that the days when one could write as much as the plot required are gone and that any novel in the genre I inhabit (literary mystery/thriller) sells much more quickly––and presumably for a higher advance––if it is under 100,000 words. My novel, as accepted by the agency in October, stood at 134,000 words. They took it on despite the length... I felt very honored, as my agent took on two clients last year. That does not mean that I get a free pass, with regards to book length.

The agency intern, who championed my work (and who has since been snapped up as an editor by HarperCollins) made amazingly precise edits. She respected the length on the first go round, while noting in a comment that she really wanted to cut about 30,000 words––100 pages. I could not dismiss this lightly, as I truly found all of her editorial suggestions spot on.

Unfortunately, I could not shake a feeling that part of the reason why the cuts were suggested had to do with marketability. The golden mean trends these days toward beach reads that can be devoured in a day or two. There are also printing, distribution, and returns costs to be factored in and these are still at the forefront, despite the emergence of eBooks.

While not adverse to beach reads, I set my standards a bit higher––I imagine my work engaging the type of reader who enjoys thrillers that do not speed up into an orgiastic writhing of climaxes in the last 100 pages (think LeCarre, but less British). I realize that the tendency for readers is to fly through the latter pages of a well-constructed thriller. Still, I'd rather the reader slowed down, savored the journey––even at the moment of revelation and race-against-time urgency.

Despite leaving the agency, the former intern was kind enough to take a second pass at Ari Park and this time she primarily focused on cuts that would bring the manuscript to a base point where it could be accepted by the publishers. She pared it down to 118,700 words, noting that she really wanted to cut it to 115,000 (at which point it would still not be an easy sell).

I find myself agreeing with many of the word-count minded editorial suggestions––though with that aching pain that comes from "killing your darlings." Problem is, I only agree with about half of the cut suggestions. Some of the sections excised are essential to what I conceive of as the emotional and narrative arc of the story.

Fortunately, as author, I am not without recourse. In taking me on, the agent has agreed that she will ultimately go with the length that I decide fits the manuscript best. It simply may not sell to the editors. She tells me that most commonly, manuscripts over 115,000 words are returned with the vague assurance that the editor will take a second pass when it is significantly shorter. Months turn into years for a book that has already taken countless years and revisions to find a home.

In the end, the practicality of making a living must be weighed. I am counting on this book to make me a solid advance––I need to eat and am between a rock and a hard place. I cannot simply wait until my genius is discovered, as it likely never will be without an underpinning marketing machine.

So the quandary arises––integrity at the expense of a means to continue creative writing on my own terms (i.e. making enough money to earn a semi-respectable living.) Take home––what I have to accomplish in the next week involves no easy choices. Even with a respectable agent secured, the hard decisions never go away.

Victoria Kabluyen Interview (1) — Of Dragon Fish and Black Swans

One of an ongoing series of interviews with my collaborator on a series of illustrations for the mystery-thrillerArisugawa Park, which is set in Japan.

1.

I met Victoria Kabluyen by chance at a Kwan International poker event, while in Las Vegas covering the World Series of Poker. Ms. Kabluyen introduced herself as an entrepreneur developing the GPS-based convention tracker app, for keeping track of colleagues, leads, and contacts in a large-scale convention setting. I introduced myself as a poker enthusiast who had recently won the record-breaking 49 hour marathon APT- Resorts World Manila Ironman tournament, the deepest-structured tourney in NLHE history. As it turned out neither of these achievements was at the core of our creative identities.

I discovered through an online gallery that Ms. Kabluyen is an accomplished artist, with a number of pictures that strongly reminded me of my time in Japan. The wheels in my brain immediately started turning, as I have always been drawn to books with illustrations (I know these are frowned upon in certain literary circles). Like Ms. Kabluyen’s art, I like to think that my book, set in Japan, mixes the traditional with an edgy, contemporary patina. Timeless. Good words deserve good art.

I was particularly drawn to Ms. Kabluyen’s pastel illustration of a woman in black leotard, Irina. She has a similar air of deep, pensive, thought as my character Eve Petersons—an Eastern European hostess in Tokyo, who is framed for the the love hotel murder of a salaryman.

In particular, her attitude and expression seemed similar to a scene in which Eve changes her hair color from blonde to dark brown, in order to mask her identity and evade the police. It also reminded me of magazine illustrations from the 1940s—the stuff from which pulp-detective dynasties were born. (Just saw Pulp Fiction—finally understood its fractured narrative and black humor, almost.)

I was also drawn to the complex patterning of Pray, as it reminded me of the intricate dyed cloth patterns I encountered in Japan. It became apparent that the book would be a good match for Ms. Kabluyen’s talents. But was she interested? I could not offer any money, just an offer of exposure and shared royalties if we did an illustrated edition (e-book?) together.

The amazing thing is that Ms. Kabluyen, who claimed not to have read a book since high school, devoured AP and was quickly on board. The novel had apparently created a personal connection with her. (Note: I just write the damn books, I do not actually take the characters as seriously as readers do — I know just how often they have changed words and actions in the past 9 years.) In any case, I now had the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to collaborate on the illustrations for a book I had written. And not just any illustrations. Masterful ones. Bon Chance!

2.

As a way of exploring the roots of her artistic vision, I asked Ms. Kabluyen if she would be interested in participating in an ongoing interview series, and she graciously agreed. Our first topic is how her approach to art has evolved over the years.

DS: How did you get into art?

VK: I have been very creatively driven since I can remember. My goal with my artwork has always been to provide viewers with something they will remember—something that lingers and stays with them.

DS: What was the first piece of art you remember making a big impression on others?

VK: Throughout high school, I enrolled in regular and advanced art classes. I entered a competition and submitted Dragon Fish—a massive 30"x 40” piece. This is when I started mixing images that are not meant to be together, but are yet somehow cohesive. A juxtaposition that makes the viewer question the art and really try to understand it… I came in second.

DS: What is the meaning of Dragon Fish and how exactly did viewers react?

VK: I was concentrating on the competition, I wanted something big that almost filled the display board, so everyone could see it. I wanted it to be colorful and festive, but instead of having dragon heads I chose dragon fish, rare creatures from the depths of the ocean. Dragon fish cannot survive the light so they stay hidden—they are aggressive, dominant beings that are hard to find. Similar to the mythical dragon. The viewers thought it was great but the judges were not similarly impressed.

DS: You originally come from the Philippines, did this influence you?

VK: In the Philippines there is a high concentration of artists. I always say that 1 out of 5 Filipinos are artists—not just in fine art but also in the performing arts. There are a lot of artisans and craftsmen working in mediums from wood to metal, on sea & land. People think I’m great here but my cousins are amazing back home—more skilled in free-hand than me. I just do my best.

Living in the Philippines with intense competition, I would never have stood out. There was an enormous lack of resources (sketchbooks), tools (paintbrushes), and techniques—which I only had access to attending high school and the Arts Institute here in the U.S.

DS: What was your next evolution after Dragon Fish?

VK: I attended the Art Institute for less than a year and they had a competition, which I did not enter. I was thinking of why the first place artwork won and my councilor suggested that one reason was that it showed a story, a transition point. Not a lot of artists can effectively convey this.

Looking back to Dragon Fish, I did not have a story behind it—I simply wanted to create a conceptually interesting piece. Going forward, I tried to create not just a story, but a pivotal moment that would impact the viewer on a deeper level. The first piece I completed with this in mind was a scene from the movie Black Swan.

This artwork shows the moment when Nina pulls a piece of barb from her back, realizing that her dream of being a swan is coming true and that she is growing feathers. She can’t believe it.

DS: A truly vivid, disturbing scene, as I remember. Black feathers.

VK: Yes, black feathers. My aesthetics just grew from there—realizing that I could capture emotion and move people with my art.

DS: I am no art critic but I personally like Dragon Fish best of the two. I find interest in the juxtaposition of traditional celebratory elements and unexpectedly combative heads. I see them as representing new, divergent views as one moves toward adulthood—a sudden blossoming of competitive spirit, perhaps. With Black Swan, I feel an intensity, perhaps an over-dramatization. Yet the colors are memorable and the piece is a step toward art that is more internalized and focused on capturing psychological states.

Arisugawa Park Illustrations Take Shape

Here are a couple initial illustrations by Victoria Kabluyen, created to accompany my upcoming mystery-thriller novel Arisugawa Park.  I am also blogging a bit on the background of this long-awaited novel.