It’s almost two months since my last post but that’s not to say that nothing has been happening in writersville.
Firstly, I sort of had August off: off the manuscript, off the blog, off my regular routine. I say ‘sort of’ because I recruited some beta-readers to look over the first three chapters and give their take/feedback, while I stepped back and emotionally distanced myself from what I’d been plowing away at in July. I received some excellent feedback which I’ve been able to apply this September in editing/redrafting sessions – coming to it fresh and objectively. The best part is I’m still as excited about the project as I ever was.
Secondly, I had some annual leave and spent part of it on staycation with my brother in Cornwall. As well as being a lovely part of the country to visit, it’s also where some significant moments in the story take place. We stayed in an Airbnb as close as I could find to both the stunning St Nectan’s Glen, Bossiney Cove and the nearby village of Tintagel.
These places provide the backdrop to scenes in the story that I needed to experience to flesh out. I had only been to Cornwall for the first time in 2016 and was very taken with the natural beauty of the place. That first trip also gave me some new ideas for the story as there is a lot of interesting local folklore. I’ve been able to build on that over the past year. Originally, the holiday was intended to be a self-imposed writer’s retreat but it turned out in the end to be an extremely active break with one of my favourite people. (Insert: no writing was done.)
It’s been a slowish start to the last quarter of the year in terms of editing the first draft. I’m working on a new musical project, which is my other favoured pastime, and that is taking joint priority at the moment. The aim is to get the first 3 chapters or 5,000 words of my story into the best shape possible for the Bath Children’s Novel Award. As long as I can do that ahead of the November deadline I will be comfortable with the amount of progress made.
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