TRADE SECRETS

Current Work: Edit of novel finished - catching up!
Listening to: The wind blowing through the Olives
Reading: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

Occupational Hazard
I missed my Friday blog again last week, but I had some decisions to make. I was on the home strait for finishing the first edit of my novel and My Man Friday was running out of chapters to comment on...so I just put my foot on my editing accelerator and away I went. On Saturday I was at my PC from around 9.30am until 6.30pm with a stretch after every completed scene. By the end of the marathon, I'd typed in excess of 10,000 words. Bring it on... but my wrists were killing me. I've never had RSI (which I believe means repetitive strain injury - common in typists) but it made things quite difficult, particularly when I got more tired. It probably took me twice as long to type the last scene that day as it did the first because of all the mistakes. Yesterday I took the day off and didn't think about it at all, or touch a keyboard. Today I've been baking - I need to shake off this novel as I'm keen to start the next.

Publish and Be Damned
So now I'm through this bit - and next time I'm going to make some changes to the way I do things - I've got to pluck up the courage and send it out. I'm taking the advice about not seeking for perfection as the book, if taken on, will without a doubt have some changes recommended. I just need to tidy up the beginning as it sounds lumpy. Its something I've left to the end again, because I read that's what some people did, and I think it was right this time. Who knows about the next?

Book Worm
I'm really enjoying the Kate Atkinson book. Its not big on dialogue but what there is helps to set the scene or build characters. Its her characters actually which do it for me, they lead the story, they are the story and they are very strong. I'm very much a character writer, the plot for me develops as they do, no matter how good my plan or outline is. Well, its a framework...