So, I’m currently in one of those slight slumps we all get, and am finding it hard to be inspired by new projects, though I have many which I need to work on, and I love them all. Partly I have a bad back so I am permanently grumpy, partly it’s that I’m feeling drained by the ineffectiveness of my marketing and feel like I’m screaming (and tweeting) into the void. If you’re a writer, I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from.
On the bright side (and slightly perversely) I’ve enjoyed re-reading and critiquing my own work recently, looking at feedback and reviews and seeing where I need to improve. I actually really enjoyed correcting and slightly tweaking Man In The bath, and I think the end result is much improved, but the slightly bigger challenge at the minute is The Raven Sound. Its difficult to just ‘tweak’ when pacing is a problem so this is proving to be a bigger job. Strangely, as editing isn’t one of my favourite tasks usually, this is quite rewarding at the moment, too. I’m treating it more like a jigsaw puzzle, and I still think I had all the right pieces, but they weren’t necessarily in the right places, or the right way round. Hopefully the end result will be much improved. One of the biggest challenges (the restructuring and corrections are going well) is that there are lots of passages and content I love, and want so much to retain, but I don’t think they necessarily fit, and often break up the flow and tone. But I’ll persevere. I’d suggest you don’t buy a copy at the minute (unless you want to do a before and after comparison) but hopefully within a couple of weeks there will be a new, improved text (2nd edition) available.
Stay safe
Kit