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Hello again,
It's been a while between newsletters but I do have a good reason: Editing. I've been revising my novel—yet again. I know it seems never-ending, but this one's the last big edit, I promise. Please wrench my manuscript from my hands if I mention the words 'another draft' or 'just rewrite those sections' again.
Because my novel has been occupying most of my time, I've had little chance to do much else, and because I've barely glanced up from my computer, I haven't done much that's newsworthy. Believe me, it's been very boring around here!
I did leave the attic on Mothers' Day and we went to Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley for a beautiful meal.
I took my camera along:
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Prior to that, I spent a few days in one of the chalets at the Katherine Susannah Pritchard Writing Centre in the Perth hills. It was an impromptu getaway and, as always, it was good to have a few days to devote to my writing.
I also took my camera with me:
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Most of you would already know that my novel, 'The Sisters' Song', will now be released in January 2018. There were a few reasons behind the decision to delay its release, including that my publisher is on long service leave and finding a convenient gap in the Allen and Unwin publishing schedule—my novel isn't the only book they're publishing this year!
But the main reason was to give me more time to complete this revision (I wrote about that in this blog post). These edits were meant to be my final round of edits—the 'copy edits'—for corrections to grammar and punctuation and minor tweaks like that. However, I felt that the ending and one of the characters needed more than minor tweaking—I wanted to add a few scenes and flesh a few others out—and to do that I needed more time and another round of edits.
Looking at the work I've done on my manuscript over the past six weeks, I'm reassured we made the right decision to delay publication. I feel as though I've solved the issues, finally, and my problematic character feels right to me now.
Although I was proud of my story before, I'm really, really proud of it now. They say a novel is never 'finished', rather it's 'abandoned', and I can see how true that saying is. It's impossible to write a perfect novel; it will always have flaws. Part of me wants to keep working on my book, to make it even better. But I really do have to let it go this time!
It's still not perfect, but I am proud of it, and I can't wait for it to go out into the world.
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Here are a few recent photos of my desk. I have a little addiction to sticky notes.
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ON THE BLOG
(IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)
I've written a couple of blog posts about the people who inspired some of the characters in my novel. I wrote this post about my great-grandmother, this one about my paternal grandfather, and at the beginning of 2016, I wrote this post about the genesis of my novel for Gulara Vincent's blog.
I've tried to write a few more of these posts, but I'm having trouble as I don't want to give away the plot! Stay tuned, though, because I'll work around it, even if I can't tell you every detail ... yet. |
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WRITERS IN THE ATTIC
Over the past couple of months, quite a few writers have visited the attic and written some beautiful essays on writing and the writing life:
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Rae Hilhorst wrote about finding her tribe amongst other writers in 'Why I Write'.
Robyne Young wrote about her circuitous route to writing creatively in 'A Life of Writing Prompts'.
Natasha Lester wrote about her writing spaces and children, and how they've influenced her writing in 'My Attics and My Children'.
Deborah Burrows wrote about writing about wartime in 'Writing Tales of Courage'.
Robin Riedstra wrote her own courageous story in 'Writing with Dyslexia'.
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Marie McLean wrote about the 45 'chapters' of her life thus far in 'What Writing Means to Me'.
Leanda Michelle wrote about her long journey to self-publication in 'What Writing Means to Me'.
Eliza Henry-Jones wrote about finding and trusting her writer's voice in 'Discovering How I Write'.
Denise Mills wrote about changing her profession from accountant to writer in 'Writing is a Big Deal'.
Cait Gordon wrote about 'When to Listen to and When to Ignore Writing Advice.
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WHAT I'VE BEEN READING
I've read a lot of books over the past couple of months, but here are two of my favourites:
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Museum of Modern Love
This book won the 2017 Stella prize and it's also my book of the year. I loved everything about it: the story and the prose, and what it had to say about art and our need for connection with each other.
I really enjoyed learning more about Marina Abramovic. I have the deepest respect for those who have the courage to pursue their art at great personal cost.
On a personal note, I love that Heather Rose, the author, is Tasmanian (like all the best people are!). She took ten years to write this novel, which makes me feel better about the six years I've taken to write mine!
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To Become a Whale
This is the debut novel of Ben Hobson and tells the story of 13-year-old Sam Keogh, in the aftermath of his mother's death. It's set mainly in 1961, and largely at Tangalooma whaling station on Moreton Island, off the coast of Queensland.
It's is a coming of age tale that also examines grief, masculinity and father-son relationships. It also gives the reader an insight into the whaling industry and how grotesquely these beautiful creatures are treated.
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The Dreaded Editorial Letter
I've come face to face with a couple of these letters lately, and I know all the feelings Densie Webb describes in this article from Writer Unboxed. It makes you feel better to read about other writers who feel the same. I especially appreciated the anecdote she included about the great screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin. If even he finds this process difficult ...
'By the time I’ve left the office and am pushing the down button on the elevator, I want to kill myself, because I have no idea how I’m going to fix anything.'
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What Writers Do When They Write
This is a lengthy but beautiful essay about writing and creating art. Having spent most of this year editing, these words spoke to me:
'But why did I make those changes? On what basis?
On the basis that, if it’s better this new way for me, over here, now, it will be better for you, later, over there, when you read it.'
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I wrote this in a Twitter conversation this morning and I thought I'd include it here as it pretty much sums up how I write a first draft.
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GIVEAWAY WINNER
The winner of this month's giveaway is: Filippa Araki. Filippa, I'll be in contact soon to send you this beautiful set of Beatrix Potter cards!
A reminder to anyone who's not on my mailing list that you can sign up here. Not only will you then get this wonderful newsletter straight to your inbox (!), but you'll also be in the running for all the giveaways. |
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That's all for this month. I'm hoping it won't be as long between newsletters next time, now the bulk of the editing is done.
I'm also hoping I'll have news for you soon—exciting news, like a cover design! I've had a sneak preview and I like it, a lot. I can't wait to show you.
Until next time, happy writing, reading and creating.
Louise x
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