I really enjoyed finishing my seventh novella, loosely based on a punk rock band I was a member of, during the mid 80s to 90s, who, for the benefit of the book and my own vanity, in a quirk of fate (and this is obviously the make believe bit), go on to influence today’s biggest band, tentatively called the MentalZ. Sounds stupid, I know, but it’s funny and surreal. Being based on myself and four former band members, who are still in my life, it was fun to write. They will be deeply amused by it! It adds a new comedic dimension to the collection of stories, that I want to be a complete variation of styles and subjects and themes, based around the fictitious village I am lovingly creating.
I had already started number eight, a story about a poltergeist, set, where else, at the Old Rectory. Ha ha, I know, hardly original, but I’m trying to generate a traditional old fashioned village idyll, even though the stories are not, on the whole, particularly “heart-warming.” This one is based on some of my own experiences, so it was easy to get onto paper the real fear and reactions to weird bumps in the night. I’m still mulling over the ending: horror or reconciliation?
I’ve now begun the ninth novella. In this one, I hope to expand on the village theme and, in particular, put some meat on the bones of the village, maybe it will be the first story, so I am being as descriptive as I can, trying to get later characters and places into the yarn. Based around an eccentric character called Pammy, she ends up caught in a battle between the two pubs of Denham, a struggle between old village life and progress.
As I write more stories, more characters are created, some of which I want to interplay across the different tales, along with more Denham landmarks. It will be one of many long editing session when I eventually try to link it all together. Good luck with that, eh!
I’ve contacted my friend Louise, who, amongst other things, is a proofreader. I’m hoping she may be the missing link, the person who can help edit and guide my attempts at writing the book. I will send her three of the first novellas to see if she’s interested. It will be brilliant if she is, as she knows me and what I’m about, so she understands my style. We’ll be meeting soon for an initial chat.
Reading the first three, I realise they are good stories, and ChatGPT’s analysis of them, well built rounded characters, great satire, and strong style, was correct. However, the criticisms were very well warranted. So I have skirted through the three, effectively my first piece of editing, and realised what a brilliant part of the process this is. The fine tuning may be as important as the story itself, something that could lift it from being just a story to maybe something deeper and more engrossing. Or, perhaps the advice will be to keep it short and punchy. But I note how much better the initial stories 6-8 are than 1-3, so I seem to be getting better.
As I will definitely self-publish, Louise is also an artist, who carried out some previous work for an old website, and will hopefully create some visual assistance in creating a real village vibe.
My partner and I are planning a week away in November, a beautiful little cottage on the Weish coast, literally clinging to some rocks, hanging over a bay in the middle of nowhere, not literally hanging, but you get my gist. It is so peaceful and hopefully I will have 12 completed by then and I can sit down and do some serious editing and work that hopefully, prior to the trip, Louise can give me some advice on. Many of the problems, repetition, names, dates, stories flagging at the end, I need no help with, and I believe I can, if Louise does not want the gig, can improve the stories considerably, before hiring an editor.
All a long creative process, I know I am maybe being very naïve, but I believe rather than reading textbooks on producing a novel, learning the whole process through trial and error has always worked best for me during my business life, and hopefully it will here.
#Writing A Book #Content Creation #Novice Novelist #Writing Fiction #Writing for Dummies
Welcome to Denham nr Lewes 