Every so often I find that I battle to find the right word to use in a sentence. I think that it’s based on a number of things, the biggest culprit being that I have used so many of the damn words to finish writing my latest novel. Agreeable it’s only around the 30,000+ word range, however the epilogue portion has been rewritten and there has been a large amount of editing going on too.
It’s an amazing feeling to have your hands clutching around the still warm paper as it’s churned out of the old printer. It’s even better when a cover has been designed and the group of words is actually starting to look and feel like the novel that it was always intended to be.
Although I have written a number of books / stories / etc, there are very few that I have actually taken to a state where I am comfortable for other people to read them. Naturally I have a small band of friends that I allow to read anything that I write, because they know and understand me – they don’t laugh at me or my language flaws (I have learnt that dyslexia is KO and a gaet doesn’t have to be joined in the middle). Yet when a larger group of people, be it even one more outside my little group, that reads something I have written, it’s nerve wracking. Will they enjoy it, will they find it funny / sad / silly as I had intended it to be? Well it’s that time, time for me to open up African Christmas for anyone that is willing or wanting to read it.
I actually started on the concept of the novel a thousand years ago, when I was first shown a short diary that was written by a family member during the Boer War II. It finally took Nanowrimo this year for me to get my butt into gear and to start writing the novel. Now the book has been through two separate edits and the total re-write of the epilogue portion of the novel. And finally I believe (hope) that it’s ready to be read.
I have to admit that I loved writing the novel even though it was really time consuming having to double check all the information and cross reference it back to what was whirling around in the depths of my mind.
You are more than welcome to read African Christmas, although if you do read it, I would appreciate some feedback, good or bad. I have also learnt that feedback is a good tool to improve oneself.
Go well
Later Days
Erich s P
Filed under: Ink Scorpion
