Why I write

Earlier today I read Kerry's account 'Why do I write?'  much of which resonated with me (I never failed to enjoy her descriptions of life on a crab boat).

An hour or so later two to-be-proofed copies of 'Making good' arrived - extremely fast and efficient service - thank you Lulu!.   Thus far I have merely hugged them, skimmed the pages and tweaked the slightly mis-aligned cover.

I shall re-read, with pencil and paper to hand, in a few weeks when it's had time to fade from my memory so it comes fresh again.

So I've put them on the shelf where I can sit and glow gently about them ...


In the meantime, I am struggling - and I do mean struggling - to find ways and means of editing, re-writing, shuffling and making a good deal sharper, last year's NaNoWriMo novel.

Phew!

Spurred by Lulu's 30% off offer, which lasts until Tuesday, I've upoaded a proof (and therefore not yet publicly available) copy of Making good.

However,  all  of my currently available novels can be bought at this discount -   just type REDEMPTIO in the code box ... 

Progress report - week 46

It's ages since I updated my progress on Write 1 Sub 1, but since my last Progress report was for week 18 I think it's time for an update.

'Damage limitation' (114k words/281 pages)  - the fourth in the story of Bridie Burdock and Sean Donovan, is published and available from Lulu in a 6" x 9" format, as are its predecessors, 'Theme for a summer / Reunion' (now combined in one volume 32K words/99 pages) and 'Holding steady' (67K words/159 pages).   All are also available as ebooks, see http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

'Making Good' - the follow up to 'Damage limitation', is 'written' but needs to sit for a bit, before I re-read.   Currently wordcount is 124K and is unlikely to decrease. 

'Not wanted on voyage' (128K words/369 pages) - Yes, well, all the things I had my doubts about were pointed out as Big Mistakes by my daughter, which means that the first thirty-one chapters need more or less re-writing and the information therein absorbing to some extent in the following twenty-five.   Plus the activities of the main characters needs to be much more strongly written.    So it is likely to finish up shorter but better.   A start has aready been made and I am optimistic that I can do it, eventually.

'The blacksmith's wife'  finished after forty-one hundred word episodes.   I am in the process of illustrating it via my 100 day endings blog - another nineteen to do, after which I shall publish it on Lulu. 

'The longest shadows' - not at all sure about this as a title, especially as it is lifted from a poem for which I  haven't permission to quote, and also because I'd forgotten I'd thought of that, so I'll continue to file it under 'Susannah Elphinstone' a story spurred into being at the beginning of February by one of Lisa Ricard Claro's Book Blurb Friday photographs, further inspired by the discovery of a photograph of a house from my own past.  Untouched since June - wordcount currently 49K.

Plus I have begun, and temporarily abandoned one  serial on Thinking Ten (Colin and Daisy's 'Just cause'), have edited the book for the third House of Writers gathering in Kansas last July, and have begun another serial on Friday Prediction, but am less certain of its staying power. (A change of focus)

Damage limitation - in print and now in ebook too

 Although Lulu's instructions for creating an ebook sound daunting they are really not that hard to follow - although I do struggle (and give up) with getting the title page to look as I want it too.

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/damage-limitation/12958799]

Damage limitation - available soon

Written in between about March and August last year as a followup to my NaNoWriMo2010 novel (and the fourth in the series) I published this last September privately on Blurb and have spent the intervening months re-reading and correcting the all too many errors.

As soon as I receive my first-ordered book from Lulu and satisfy myself as to quality, I shall make this public - now a 6" x 9" version because that is cheaper than 5" x 8" used for earlier books in the series.   And hopefully available as an e-book too.

This cover was designed using their one-piece designer - daunting to start but more satisfying and flexible for type placement than the 'advanced' version - I very likely will re-do the cover for Not wanted on voyage before re-issuing.