Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

In the hospital

So here I am in the hospital, the once immortal Percy Goodfellow

This body of mine has held up pretty well, so far and I turned seventy (70) this year.

I got reamed for a urinary flow problem a couple of years ago and while it represented a turning part in my life things have otherwise gone pretty well.

Anyway here I sit in the hospital, which is kinda weird because the bed moves up and down like there's a dog crawling around underneath.

My spelling has improved as a result of spell checkers,( You know the kind that pop up in the body of the text when you spell something wrong.) I treat the flagging like I'm playing a computer computer game and keep fiddling around with the letters until the flag (the red line underneath) disappears. If I can't solve the puzzle there is always recourse to the dictionary.

Being a moderator for the Exploratory Writing Workshop in New Horizon's Academy has also helped with my writing.

This month I bit the bullet and self-published my novel Habit of Despair. It cost me about a $1,000 but aside from the cost it seemed a reasonable approach for an unpublished author to take. My strategic thinking is that if it catches on, I might get noticed by a traditional publishing house. The Catch 22 to the traditional approach is that if you aren't already published you have to put up with a raft of inhouse bureaucracy and even if you comply and get an offer it will be a contract that gives the rights to the book and sends the message..."Be glad we even considered you."

My operational thinking is that if you are already published and the public shows some interest, in your work you don't have to subject yourself to all the negativity that going the traditional route to publication has to thwart you.. Having a good book is proof that you can write, however, there are some important steps to consider in choosing who you pick to publish your "Work of Art."

The first consideration is that your book could be absolutely horrible reading in anyone's eyes but your own. Forget asking a friend or somebody on writing.com. The friend will tell you how great you are and even an English Teacher could prove to be an unreliable source.. Before you even think about giving a self publisher $1k consider the following.

Considerations:

Read a favorite novel written in the genre.
Then read yours.
Which one do you like best.
What specifically to you admire about your favorite author's style?
Rewrite your novel with these considerations in mind

Are you familiar with the tried and true components that go into writing a successful novel. For example does it began as your central character faces a life changing event?

is it clear from the onset who your central character is?

Does it contain a blend of exposition, backstory, dialog, interior dialog, foreshadowing, symbolism and repetition... (yes repetition, It tells the reader "watch my lips.)

Does it contain three crisis (or more) that lead up to the climax.

There is plenty more to consider and I suggest "The Idiots Guide to writing a Novel...." its by Ingersoll and somebody else.)


I'll write another installment tomorrow with some tips on preparing to self publish.