February 6, 2025

Getting closer . . . yes, really

There are some writers who must have such a facility with words, and the ability to arrange them in an order that requires little rewriting or rearrangement, but I’m not one of them. I heard about such a writer from a friend yesterday who was equally in awe of someone she knew who’d knocked off the draft of a book in six months. The writer was also still working – albeit part time. We were both jealous, neither of us being the speediest of wordsmiths.

It's pointless being envious of those with that ability though. At least that’s what I tell myself through gritted teeth as I plod away with my own magnum opus, that’s taken many times more than six months, but which I’m determined won’t take more than another couple of them. My consolation is that because I’m editing as I go there will be very little need to revisit and rework, although I’m fully cognisant there will be a need to reorganise chapters, and possibly sections within those chapters.


One of my beta readers has already flagged this – but I’d already reached that conclusion anyway. From what I can gather rearranging the jig-saw puzzle that is an early draft of a manuscript is called a structural edit. And every published book needs one.


Serendipitously, a workshop for this very aspect is being advertised. It’s happening in Hobart next month so I’m now hoping it can be organised for this end of the island too. Even if the Hobart workshop wouldn’t mean a sparrow-fart start to a Saturday morning, the date coincides with a regular commitment I have anyway.


I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that the Writers Centre can follow through with my suggestion this workshop can also be offered in Launceston. It was obvious from the sellout session at last year’s Tamar Valley Writer’s Festival that involved tips about the approach to make to publishers in respect of ‘getting one’s book published’, there would be plenty of takers.



In the meantime there are two more chapters to complete . . . .

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