More Editing

This week, my proof reader brought to light some punctuation rules with regards to speech in my novel that I had previously been unaware of.  So I am once again trawling through my manuscript correcting these mistakes and there are a lot of them.  As I go through more seem to appear.  Where will it end?  How many more mistakes are there I wonder?  How many more times will I have to run through it?

 It's really scary doing this alone, without the expert advice of an agent or publisher's editor.  However, sometimes when I read published books they have odd mistakes in them.  I know they will have been scrutinised and rewritten several times and yet still there are mistakes.  It makes me wonder what chance I have.  But that's pessimistic talk and I'm not generally a pessimist.  I mustn't let it get to me. 

With me it's been mainly the rules where speech is broken up - the correct use of commas and full stops.  My proof reader suggested I look at these two links which have been really helpful. http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/punctuation-in-direct-speech

http://www.bookshedonline.co.uk/knowhow/dialogue-punctuation

It's so important to me to get all this right and have my manuscript looking as professional as possible.  This must be the bane of the Indie Author and there are so many people out there ready to edit/carve up/offer you advice for a small fortune.  I decided I didn't want that - not saying that's right or wrong - just not for me.  Do other Indie Authors do it completely alone?  I'm beginning to realise this quest is going to need a lot of faith in my abilities.

Getting Connected

This week I have been concentrating on my social networking which I am assured is of paramount importance to an Indie Author (still love that term).  I have thrown myself into the hotbed that is Twitter, Linkedin and facebook; raising my profile, connecting with old friends and many new. 

I still feel a little naive, and have had to call upon the assistance of a very patient husband, or one of two daughters, on more than a few occasions.  So I thank them wholeheartedly.  It is beginning to sink in.  I'm hoping I can settle down soon and the whole process will just become a regular part of my day.

It is time consuming though, so much so that I didn't get a chance to write or edit anything last week, let alone blog.  But it's been a blast and an education.  There is indeed a massive Indie Author presence out there, especially on Twitter and so much information at hand.  So far everyone has been incredibly supportive.

Whatever must it have been like for a writer before all this information and technology became available at our fingertips?  It must have been a lonely occupation and somewhat tedious.  Imagine having to write down everything using pen and ink.  What if you made a mistake?  Surely your train of thought would be lost by the time you'd completed one line.  What a gifted and patient breed they must have been.

My children have grown up in the digital age - they don't know life without technology.  They can't comprehend that when I was at school we didn't even have calculators, let alone any form of computer.  But then I find it difficult to comprehend what it was like for the generation before mine when only one person in a whole school had a ball point pen (true - my Dad told me!)

How did you get started?  Do you find all this available social media worthwhile? (PS sorry about the random scrabble board - couldn't work out how to upload the social media icons - Guess I still have a way to go!)

Paths

Apart from going through some corrections from my proof reader on part three of my novel I haven't had a much of a writing week.  Most of my focus has been directed on the yoga workshop I held on Saturday morning.

It's interesting to compare my two occupations and how I feel about them. 

My week has been full of planning postures, going over talks, preparing handouts, all of which I feel capable and knowledgeable about.  I've been properly trained and taken on a wealth of experience in the years I have been teaching.  Not saying it comes easy, just that I feel confident and sure of what I'm doing.  My yoga path is straight and steady.  It has no obstacles that concern me and reaches far into the distant horizon across open countryside.  

Writing on the other hand is a bit scary, a bit of a risk.  It's something I do because I love it.  To me, the ability to select words and construct them into meaningful and interesting phrases is admirable.  The infinite possibilities of configurations available are both challenging and fascinating.  Unlike my yoga path the writer's one is winding and unsure.  It meanders here and there; paths lead off it and take me to dead ends.  There's most often a high hedge either side or dense undergrowth to make the going more difficult to follow.  Occasionally there is a break and the path opens up and I catch a glimpse a rainbow at the end. 

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has comments to add on their chosen paths.

Patience, persistence, compromise

Just three of the many qualities that come in handy when you are trying to get published.

Patience and persistence to put rejections; of which there will be many, behind you, bite the bullet and start all over again: - new agent, new requirements, new standard rejection letter (if you're lucky!) 

Then there's compromise, doing it differently.  I once had a Tarot card reading that told me I needed to get a move on with my novel.  If I didn't my book would still be published in around twelve years time but it wouldn't be what I wanted it to be.  That was twelve years ago.  After raising children, training in a career as a yoga teacher I now find myself about to embark on internet publishing.  It isn't what I really want.  What I want is to see my book in paperback on a shelf in Waterstones, it's what I've always dreamt of.  But at the same time I want to get on with other stuff.  I have ideas for a sequel, more novels and short stories and quite frankly I'm not getting any younger.  I could mess around with the first novel for months, years even I'm sure.  I need to let it go, to move on.

It's close to crunch time now.  Close to the time I unleash my little masterpiece on the public and I'm worried.  Because I'm doing it on my own I worry that I may not have found all the errors, even though I've had it proof read.  I'm happy with the structure and the plot but have I got all the time lines right?  Have I cross referenced everything?  When you have a book published in the traditional manner the editor does all that for you.  

I'm frightened too that people won't like it, will find fault with it, or worse still will laugh at it.

No book, not even a best seller is without its critics and a fair few of them still have odd mistakes in despite countless rewrites.  I guess one has to develop a very thick skin. 

Nevertheless I promise I will publish my book over Easter  

Walking Inspiration

Following on from the Novel Thinking blog post 'Negative outlook' I must recommend walking?  It's free, available pretty much anywhere and you never regret it after.  It's a way of meditating for those of us that find it difficult to sit cross legged on the floor for hours (and me a Yogi too - shame!).  Meditation is about clearing the mind, ceasing the chattering monkey.  Once the mind is clear it's open to receive inspiration and new ideas.
Lovely mornings like this one are good. The sun is bright. The birds are singing. There's a dusting of frost on everything. The morning invites you to join it, to be part of it. 
And who knows what you might find.  I came across this gnarled old tree trunk and it set me thinking; "How did it get to be like this?" "What sort of tree was it originally?"  "How long has it been there" "What things has it seen?"
Moments like these inspire and ignite the imagination.  So step outside and be inspired.

Going for it!

Yep - I'm self publishing.  I'm joining the pioneering ranks of the Indie Author.  Can't be doin' with being rejected or just plain ignored by agents anymore - I'll do it myself.
I've taken advise, tweaked, restructured and cross-checked.  I've read 'How to...', 'Who to...' and 'What not to...'.  I've put my manuscript through proof reading and now it's time to format and upload. 
At least I'll be making some headway in getting my book 'out there'.  I know it will take time.  I know it will require marketing and promoting but I'm gonna give it my best.  It will be good to let this baby go finally so I can work on the sequel.
Watch this space...