Yeah, it is in the process. It's really more like slipping into the skin of another world and watching it unfold right in front of you. There's nothing else like it.

Thanks for the great comment Suzie. See, that's been half my battle. I want to help make her a better writer and to see where she can improve, but I don't want to shatter her innocence or her confidence. When I was at her point, just making my decission that I wanted to write the people around me weren't supportive and told me I could never do it because my grammar sucked and I didn't do well with spelling. (we didn't have a computer, I had a type writer) so I don't want her to feel the same way. Sure, I made it through and kept working and have greatly increased my grammar and spelling skills- but I had to do it alone and its been a long hard road. I like reading other peoples works and helping them as much as I can and from other reports or threads I've read you hear that you should be down right honest about what your doing- but know if I did a line by line edit on her work it would crush her. And I don't want to do that. I want her to know that I think her stuff is good, and that I want to help make it better. It's just hard when you get that email in that says "Hey read this absolutely amazing essay I just wrote! It's perfect!" and you start reading it and cringe from a writers pov at grammatical and spell errors. I think I'll just have to take it slow with her, she's got what it takes, she's passionate with good stories- I just need to remember those are what's important. You're right, the other stuff can be fixed later. I just need to take it slow.

I am a firm believer that a novel should be as long as it needs to be to effectively tell the story you want to tell.

I've talked to some agents that say it HAS to be more than 70,000 and no more than 150,000 or some that say 50,000 is fine. Ithink it all depends on the agent and their tastes.

I would say, just keep writing until YOU are content and then worry about editing it up or down. If its right for an agent they'll bite no matter if its a few thousand words off.

-Jessica

I appreciate the information I will look them up just as soon as I get back home. I have been working in Kirkuk, Iraq. It is so difficult to get back into the zone of my story. It is good to know that at least someone took the time to give some good advice. Take care and Thank You.