Why I Wouldn’t Recommend Reading my First Two Books
The Rewrite of the Rewrite
I am aware I have not posted many Journals this year. I have been on an edit, which is near completion.
I have made grave errors in the past. It is not simply a matter of running a spell check. I am very earnest this time, the self-doubt produced by previous mistakes is a struggle.
I wouldn’t recommend my first two books to anyone. In fact, I’d discourage you from reading them. They contain embarrassments which would make readers twitch. Thinking about it today, I picked up my first book and cringed as I flipped through the pages.
Being vowel blind, in constant battle with wriggling red lines, I can only think I was fighting so hard that all I could do was sigh with relief when they disappeared.
Lesson learned. My only apologetic stance - I may republish my first two books but don’t have the energy at the moment.
I have few regrets. It was all part of a valuable learning process and I am sure I am not alone.
Self-published books are notoriously riddled with typos, spelling mistakes, bad grammar and plot holes. I have tried to enlist reading friends but the truth is no one is as invested in a book as the author. It’s too much to ask others to give their time.
Traditionally published books have the benefit of development and style editing. They have professionally designed covers and interiors. The kindest onlooker would have to admit there’s not much hope of producing something as perfect.
What I will say is DON’T RUSH IT.
Don’t let feigned interest or your own eagerness get you in a half nelson to complete without stringent edits. It simply isn’t worth all the mistakes you’ll find in print or on kindle, especially if you are like me.
I’m the old adage of a story teller rather than a writer. Writers are more technically involved in their craft. I have ideas which spiral out of control and take up the greater part of me until they are outside my brain. Then I have another one and start typing again.
I joke that my favourite read through is the 25th because after that I stop counting. It’s what I choose to do and there’s no way round it. If you are not an expert, that’s what it takes. You read, make notes, read again and hope you will make it work somehow.
It’s true that when I wrote my first two books I didn’t have enough money to do things properly, I forgive myself.
This time round I have hired a proficient proofreader.
I had to force myself to send emails to various advertised people and companies. Like anything else the hardest part was deciding whether it would be worth the money.
Having made that bold move I found I had contacted some shrewd movers and businessmen who called me before I had closed my laptop.
I actually said “I’ve only just stood up!” to one of them.
They were very efficient and pushy. I could have easily been backed into a corner but I held my own, I had a list and wouldn’t make a decision until I’d heard from everyone.
A London based firm was so bossy they told me not to disclose their quote to competitors. Though they claimed my story would be given a sympathetic eye, they gave me no confidence regarding the use of a Norfolk accent. Feeling my book would be more about their needs than mine I crossed them off the list.
A voice in the back of my head kept telling me I needed someone local, who wouldn’t declare it all grammatically incorrect and undo the thought I had given to dialogue.
The same voice kept telling me that I already knew of a decent local woman. Someone from the accounts department at the Moller Centre, Cambridge, had mentioned a proofreader following a conversation about writing. What I remembered the most was she had said how easy the lady was to talk to.
I Googled and came across Quick Brown Fox and Suzanne Williams. Sure this was the right person, I sent an email, explaining about the Norfolk difficulties.
Suzanne said she would be happy to proofread and that she had Norfolk connections and understood my intention, going so far as to explain differences she had noticed between various East Anglian accents and the way many actors use a Cornish accent in an East Anglian role.
I feel the need to explain - you should not intend to find someone who usually edits work documents.
Suzanne was clearly the right choice for me and had previous relevant experience, understood the brief.
The other kind of proofreader might use punctuation which is not usual in fiction. I know avid readers who say they feel colons have no place in fiction. At the end of the day it’s the authors’ choice but, as a result of such comments, I prefer not to be too formal.
Four weeks was agreed upon and Suzanne finished before the deadline. Far from my work being brutalised by a stranger, a document was sent back showing track changes, which I could accept or reject.
Suzanne had even found a spelling error in a Buddhist chant. I haven’t got time to explain what that was doing in East Anglia but she is good. I cannot thank her enough. Talking to her in emails, she said she would go to the church I had borrowed an 18th century inscription from – to look at it. I could not fault her dedication and she sorted out so many other matters which Word had made me believe correct.
Word is not your friend if you writing a book. I had thought I knew about punctuation in speech but it had contradicted me and I had been foolish enough to make many changes on its advice, even though I felt it interrupted the flow. When I got the manuscript back from Suzanne, I realised I should have trusted my gut over technology.
The truth is, Word thinks you are writing a business document. I have tried various writing aids but I found writing became more about pop ups, suggestions and other irritating factors, though I could see the point in using Grammarly for spelling. Hemingway Editor is also good but is based on Hemingway principals, which you could learn and remember without something in the background nudging you when creativity is more important.
How far am I from publishing my Book?
Amanda Drake’s Heart is nearly ready.
I know it has been advertised on my website for quite some time but I have taken my past experiences seriously.
There is a maddening bell ringing within me which wants to call time on it and get on with writing the sequel but I spent nearly a year on this book, much more if you consider the research behind the multiple subjects within the larger story. At the end of the day, I don’t want to ruin the fleeting moment of joy I will have when it enters the world.
My conclusion is, work on it, rest then look again. Don’t be so lost in the process that you can’t see what others will inevitably find. More importantly enjoy what you are doing. If you haven’t got a deadline or traditional deal, don’t pressure yourself.
When you self-publish you do every task yourself but the real joy is being your own boss. I’ve given up telling people what I’m writing about, with the exception of my mother-in-law who is enthusiastic and doesn’t sit in judgement.
Friends are different, they will want to say what they would wish to be in a book, whilst not necessarily being interested.
I might be unfair to others but if you want your original content to be just that, use your own ideas and imagination. Keep it on the low, as the kids say, and I’m sure your writing will be worth reading.
My last words on hiring a proofreader or editor aren’t actually mine. Suzanne had a quote on one of her pages.
Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’pworth of tar.
I’ll leave you to find out the origins of that magnificent phrase. It might not mean what you think.
Till next time. Happy writing.
Rachel