Writing Excerpts and Entering James Jones First Novel Fellowship

 

After blogging about taking two years to rewrite six novels, I received some nice comments from an editor at Shenandoah about an excerpt I had submitted.  She suggested, however, that I submit an excerpt from the beginning of the novel—that way the reader could get acquainted with the characters and the setting as the ‘story’ develops.  Good advice, I thought.  Excerpts from the middle or near the end of the novel might be harder for them to stand on its own without the necessary character developments or backstories.  That would depend on the novel or its structure.

While contemplating the beginning of the novel as a stand-alone excerpt, I suddenly realized (or forgot) that the James Jones First Novel Fellowship deadline was near—for those who have not published or self-published a novel.  Since they require the first fifty pages of the novel and a synopsis/outline, I decided to take a closer look at those fifty pages (even going through each chapter three times, then those fifty pages three more times as I did before).  I figured since the first fifty pages (or the first three chapters) is what I normally submit to agents, I’ll benefit from that, too.

After submitting my entry, I then created that new excerpt for Shenandoah.  From chapters One-Four, I cut out the parts not relevant to the ‘story,’ though relevant to the novel, thus cutting the length down from 11,276 words to less than 8,000 words, their maximum length.  I titled the excerpt, “Ask Questions Later.”  By then, unfortunately, Shenandoah’s submission period had closed (they had reached their quota early and wouldn’t reopen for several more months.)  So, I had to find another market that accepted novel excerpts—so long as they could stand on their own.  Fortunately, I found several.

Years ago, I used to do this with my first Penang-set novel.  Parts of the five chapters have been published fourteen times in six countries, including the US, UK, and Australia.  I had less success with excerpts from other novels.  Maybe I hadn’t tried hard enough to market them or gave up too soon or failed to update them after a rewrite…

I’m now considering rewriting the first fifty pages of all six novels before the year is out (half way through, actually) and seeing what I can fashion into excerpts that can stand alone. Hopefully the excerpts can attract interest in the novel itself as I continue submit to agents.  So far, I’ve resisted self-publishing, despite some amazing success stories, or co-publishing, despite one enticing offer.  (That first novel could’ve been published twenty odd years ago in Singapore!  Regrets, maybe.)

Plenty of novels, of course, have grown from published short stories (and plenty of unwritten novels have died after that first chapter since it had nowhere to go, even though it worked as a short story).  Plenty of novels have also spawned excerpts or short stories as well.  It goes both ways.  As I writer, you got to do what you can with your fiction, take those necessary steps that can lead to publication and move you closer to where you want to be.

              —Borneo Expat Writer

 My interviews with Malaysian writers:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize. 

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey

Preeta Samarasan, author of Evening is the Whole Day, finalist for the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009. 

Chuah Guat Eng, author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change.

Malachi Edwin Vethamani, author of Complicated Lives and Life Happens. 

 

“The Funeral Procession” accepted by The Secret Attic, a British anthology

“The Funeral Procession”, a 1000-word excerpt from my novel A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit, has been accepted by The Secret Attic, a British anthology.  It follows the acceptance of another excerpt, “Monkey Beech”,  a full short story, taken from the same novel, accepted by the same publication last month.

So far, parts of five chapters have been published in six countries, fourteen times—all of chapters one and two, nearly all of chapters five and eleven, and part of chapter fifteen.  One excerpt was even translated into French.

I have turned two other chapters into long short stories and several other parts into flash fiction.  Even though this novel has never been published, mostly through my own stubborn­ness, since I had a chance to publish it in Singapore (and Malaysia) a really, really long time ago, I have held off and have been revising it every couple of years, including last year, where it was a finalist in the 2019 Faulkner Wisdom Novel Awards.  (Also a finalist in 2017  & 2016.

Each publication from that novel shows me that I’m on the right track and bolsters its chances of being published in the US or UK, my desired markets, along with Malaysia and Singa­pore.  I’ve been very patient.  In fact, I have completed a sequel full of excerpts that I could no doubt publish when I get around to it…

—Borneo Expat Writer

My interviews with four Malaysian novelists and one poet: 

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day.
Chauh Guat Eng author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change.  

Also, Malachi Edwin Vethamani, author of Complicated Lives and Life Happens.