Self Publishing:A Drag and Frustration*** Writing a Mystery Novel*** Read to WritE

Hello Writers

Self-Publishing Drags On and Frustrates

Another three to four week break in this never-ending journey of self-publishing. I received the “standard line-by-line copy edit” back for my review, to accept or make further changes. Once again, I wasn’t sure how to use the “accept changes” form and what was expected of me. Once again, I had to email my publishing specialist for clarification. I am beginning to wonder if this is an old age phenomenon or if I am just unfamiliar with publishing companies' forms, etc. I will settle for a little bit of both. My review and accepting or making changes seemed overwhelming. I wasn’t feeling well, and then it was our wonderful Thanksgiving. (My Writing on the Senior Side story in our local paper was my way of wishing you all Happy Thanksgiving. It is called T is for…a little “cheesy” but Thanksgiving is the perfect time for that.

Finally, I got to it and, as it usually the case, it wasn’t so bad after all, frustrating at times, especially when I was asked to make sure all my pictures had captions. Tedious, and how much easier it would have been if I had known this when I put in my photos months ago. My review copy edit was extensive, but doable, and I was pleased with the final product. Did I just say “final product”? That’s a stretch. How about pleased with the editing completed in this phase?

My manuscript is now moving on to the next edit: a proofreading edit, which will be the last edit n the process. I expect it will lead to more forms…yuk.  Did I tell you that each of these edits is a separate cost on top of the initial package? It’s okay; I am paying the price for the expertise, and I don’t want my book to go forward with errors. (The longer this process takes, the more likely I am to tell you the truth: I just want the damn thing done!)

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My mystery novel

Thankfully, the joy of writing keeps me grounded. I am about 10,000 words into writing my first novel, a mystery. I think it will be a cozy mystery. It takes place in cottage country, Ontario. I love the writing and the learning. What learning? Writing a mystery is a whole new world. I thought it would be easy. It’s fun, but it is not easy. So much to think about in planning and plotting. I am reading and thinking. There is a part of me that just likes to start writing and see where it goes, and a part of me that knows I would be remiss not to benefit from the wisdom and expertise of professional, well-known authors and teachers. I wonder if any of you are writing a mystery. If so, do you have books or articles that helped?

I wrote the first chapter and then realized it worked better as the second chapter. So, I wrote a new first chapter in which the main character is central, as is the character who will be murdered. I am satisfied with this, but need to revisit it to see if it does “grab the reader”. I think it does, but it needs chapter two, which ends with the murder. The chapters are about 2500 words, so I think taking two chapters to get the murder is okay. What do you think?

I wonder if any of you are writing a mystery. If you are and feel there would be benefits of discussing/ sharing, it would be great to meet with you on Zoom and compare our mystery writing journeys.   My writer’s email address is steltergail@gmail.com. I don’t expect anything to come from this, but if I don’t reach out…Well, you never know..

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When you can’t separate being a writer from recreational reading.

Reading to be a better Writer

I love to read. Nothing new there. Most writers love to read. The “new” is that it has become increasingly impossible to separate my author’s critique/view from my reading for fun view.

I rejoined a book club. The people are lovely, and the books they choose are often not what I would usually choose for my relaxed recreational reading. I love that. I love being exposed to wonderful stories I may have otherwise missed. This month, we read a National Best Seller, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Wow, it is written as letters, lots of letters to different people. I didn’t expect to like a novel written in letters, but I did, and the plot weaving was incredible. The word choices and the descriptions, combined with the main character’s voice and disposition, create an intricate and beautifully written novel. It’s also a great story and an enjoyable, gripping at times, read. For those of you who are seniors, like me, you may find yourself identifying with the main character. At our book club meeting, I wanted to talk about the writing, while everyone else wanted to talk about the story. I guess I’ll have to be more mindful of that.

I slept pretty well last night.

Not related to writing, you say.

Oh, it is for me, I say.