Friday, February 23, 2007

Back editing

Another chapter completed, thats twenty now. Three more to go, probably the most difficult as I try to wrap it up in a satisfying manner. Then a final mini edit before complete read through and final edit before any potential submisison.

There is one task hanging ominously on the horizon. I had never tried to write a book before, and at the start things like how does one do it, spacing, paragraphs, new lines etc, how to differentiate characters speaking from characters internal thoughts and descriptive text etc were things I was very unsure of. It's only now that I've noticed I put most of the dialogue in quotation marks, "Why, hello," said Jim*. I noticed reading for leisure the other day that it's only single marks generally used, 'Not bad at,' I replied. I shall have to go through the entirety of the text and change it, a bit of a pain but no matter.

*Not actual dialogue.

Unreliable bastards...

...bit of a rant this, really meant to do it earlier. Is there much point as no one it's directed at will read it, it was to long winded for me to really bother anyone else with it but anyway last tuesday I was in a near rage.

it all began more than a week before, Motherwell had a rearranged match against St.Mirren coming up a week on tuesday at the time. The game of 7's I normally play in clashes with it and quite a few of those that play are Well fans, so it was in some doubt. However it was an away game and enough folk expressed an interest in playing. On the monday week before it there was 8 people confirmed it was in some risk of being cancelled. I wasn't to keen on it being cancelled as I didn't want to go and pay £20 for privelage of freezing my arse of in Paisley of an evening, but in the knowledge that my fitba team training which also goes ahead on a tuesday was likely to be cancelled I thought I can probably get at least a couple of people, probably more to get the numbers up.

So I sent round a text to the half dozen or so people in team i have a number for, after confirming with the team manager that training wasn't on, and explain the situation and would anyone like to play a week on tuesday whilst clearly mentioning that it was on the same night as the rearranged Motherwell game. I quickly got 3 replies back of people confirming and the next day a 4th, Mitch, Speedie, Dave and Gav. I was pleased, 12 people was enough to keep it going and even if a couple dropped out we would have enough for a game of 5's. Getting a 5's pitch would be no bother as Celtic were at home to Milan the same night and many a regular game would be cancelled at parks we play at. I replied to everyone I had asked and confirmed that game would be going ahead.

moving on to the saturday I had still being trying to get a couple more people to make it 14, and in the pub pre match I asked and got couple people willing to play. I had to tell them and only them it wasn't an absolute certainty because I wasn't the principle organiser. I needed to hear back from James and his reply to my text was can I confirm monday, sure no problem. I was still quite happy, we should have a minimum 12 and looked like we had another two to make 14. I even had to turn down Fraz who expressed interest in the pub late in day as he could no longer make Motherwell game as he was viewing a flat, had to say sorry just this minute got all I need.

Monday morning, I get a text from Mitch, can't play tomorrow got something on, my mum just reminded me this morning, apologies. Fair enough no problem, I text fraz and tell him and do you want to take his place, he does. Numbers sorted once more. Still not heard from James, I check email he's sent a circular mail out checking with people about the game tomorrow, fair enough I'll prob not hear for certain about the other two players until end of working day. Working day comes to a close nothing, I head off of the evening for my monday night 5's, i send him a text, have we got confirmation of numbers yet? I get a reply as we come out, I think it's just one more we need can i confirm in morning. Well fine but this is a pain, i know that at least one of the two i want to confirm for playing will not get texts at work and will have to wait until late, which even if they still fancying a game it's leaving late and I don't like it.

tuesday morning. early text from Fraz, big gav is suffering from food poisoning and can't play tonight I'll just pull out to even up the numbers. Who hold on there son, don't do that you might be needed. Well eh I quite fancy going to love street with speedie and tweed! Whit! Speedie is playing tonight. I text Speedie, 'oh I didn't think it was defo on, I believe I'm at Love street with fraz and tweed.' you fucking dick, didn't even having the decency to tell us, didn't think even to ask just incase, a load of pish about not thinking it was on, fucking arsehole. I'm not pleased. I get rubber ear from speedie after 2nd text, fraz is not keen on playing and I'm going mental at him about letting me down, we're now down to 9 people and two mibbes as expected I'm getting no reply from other two guys I had hoped to confirm on saturday but couldn't say to them for certain until tuesday morning.

If you think my numbers are out by one, during all this I text dave, a reliable sort who i expect to turn up, but just onthe off chance I text him to remind him of the game, he replies , sorry can't play am choked with cold. cheers thanks for telling me that. So yes tuesday morning and 3 people have pulled out and the 4th is wriggling like a worm on a hook trying to get off. I inform James of this turn of events and we try and rustle up more players not much luck but just enough to get one and and play 5's letting the worm scurry off and go to the Motherwell game. Every fucking one of them I asked let me down, I'll give the benefit of the doubt to those that said they were unwell. Least one of them thought to tell also. Mitch at least gave me a bit of notice can't complain to much. Fraz in fairness 7's was his 2nd choice but i was raging that he was happy to play when it suited him and was threatening to bail when it didn't, i think he was going to do the decent thing and play if needed but it was taking a hell of lot of badgering and even still I'm not 100% sure. The real arsehole, Speedie. Never let me know, and then just gave me pish about not knowing it was on, couldn't be fucking bothered to check.

Still on the brightside, got a game of 5's and it was a pretty good game, oh and the Motherwell game, finished 0-0 and was absolutely fucking dire, that's a shame :-)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Still on the same...

...chapter but i noticed I've passed the 80,000 word landmark. I had meant to click on spell check to be honest . I didn't really have a target length other than more than 50,000 words as a vague benchmark. Once I got really started 100,000 seemed more realistic and it does seem likely to finish up around 90/100 thousands words.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Another chapter written...

...or more likely two. If you happen to have noticed been a bit of a gap since the last chapter update this last one has been a bit of a biggie. I'm going to split it into two i think, there is a very obvious bit in the middle that would serve as a nice cliffhanger. And I do have just enough space left to juggle the second half the other side of the next chapter. This only leaves me with another two maybe three to write now. Very worrying as I am then going to have to try and pimp it round publishers and cope with the more than likely rejections that will ensue.

I don't mean to sound negative but it is only the minority that get published so fingers crossed but i would be a bit foolish to imagine it will happen just like that. The main thing is to finish it, have a go at getting it published and not being to downbeat if it doesn't happen. I already know what I want to write next. I started a screenplay during my novel writing hiatus earlier last year, I quite liked what I'd done so far and I want to go back and finish that. I also have an idea for another novel sized story, not science fiction, political thriller would be closet genre tag I could give it. Noted down some other ideas as well, hopefully more inspiration will come my way once I'm less focused on this current novel project.