Hey folks! I have done the impossible and written a novel. I've completed a fairly solid second draft and I'm trying to get as many eyes on it as possible before I go through with more big revisions. It is ~110k words and I would be more than happy to beta read or critique your work in return. I'm looking for big-picture feed back on character and plot and such.
My novel is a modern YA retelling of Hamlet. It is told in first person alternating perspectives between Hamlet, Ophelia, and Horatio. If you're not familiar with Shakespeare's Hamlet, it's basically the Lion King. My retelling deals with issues of sexuality, depression, suicide and self harm, self-expression, and being a public figure. And also murder and ghosts, of course. It is meant to be a fun and intense and easy read.
This is something I would really like to get published someday, so if you want to give it a try, please let me know! You wouldn't have to commit to the whole book, you could try the first couple chapters to see if it's even something you would like. I'm struggling to come up with comparable novels, but a few might be:
- Red, White, and Royal Blue (ish)
- American Royals (but I didn't really like this book, so)
- Rainbow Rowell and Becky Albertalli books (sorta. . . ?)
- The Song of Achilles (because it's a retelling of a classic with queerness on the forefront)
OH. ALSO. If you are specifically a gay/bi/whatever dude and/or black or Latinx, I would love to hear from you because I am a white girl and I need to be called out if I accidentally wrote offensive stereotypes or anything offensive or inaccurate or whatever regarding race or m/m characters/romance. (I'm queer but I imagine the experience as a queer guy can be quite different).
Okay, that was kind of a long post. Please tell me if you're interested-- I want to hear from you! (And I can't stress enough that if you start it and don't like it you are welcome to ditch it).
Thanks!
Nymeria
