Reliance On The Kindness of Writers

I was somewhat taken aback this last day or two, since I posted about the request for the full manuscript of Hafan Deg with the thirty-day exclusivity attached. So many of you congratulated me, encouraged me, shared this fragile snippet of hope as if it were your own. I know some of you are already at the same stage with your books, and it moves me to see how unstinting you are with your concern for me. I've said all of this before, but it's worth repeating how much it means - and how constantly amazed I am at your generosity. Thank you, again.


I am heavily involved in Strachan's Attic. The book was meant to be a revision, an update of the original MS, but I find I am re-writing great chunks, and it's taking far longer that I'd originally planned. I'm not complaining, because when I read the previous day's work the next morning, it's satisfying to see it taking on a fresh new life. Perhaps I should stop calling this an old book, and refer to it now as my new novel; certainly it retains the original idea, but the characters have completely changed - for the better, I hope.

The research is ongoing, as I come up with some new aspect of World War II that I want to reflect. Browsing through the archives at various sites, I come across stories that engulf me so completely, even though they're not relevant to my book, that I can't tear myself away. Many, many people have offered their individual memories to these sites as a permanent record of that poignant time in history. Most of the writers, if they are still with us, are in their 80s or 90s now, relating things that must still cause strong emotions in them. Some are written by relatives, even grandchildren trying to connect to their own pasts. This is also a reminder to you to record your family history, to question aging relatives about their stories, otherwise it's lost forever.

I mention this because there is such a wealth of material out there for the writer interested in an earlier time. I've found enough story ideas from this one decade to write a hundred books. So many of these people in uniform were high school age, seventeen, eighteen years of age. Late in the war, boys joined the Navy at fourteen, easily getting away with the lie that they were older because no one questioned too deeply; the War Effort needed every able body it could get. It's emotional work, this book, although I suppose all our writing must be in different ways. If we didn't invest our own vulnerability in it, how convincing would it be?


There's a lot of stuff out there about literary agents - what they think, what they want, etc., but I don't think we ever tire of hearing about them. They're our greatest challenge, our Everest - sometimes, when we're feeling low, even our bete noire. I came across a discussion between four young agents at the Poets & Writers site which I found interesting enough to link here. They make a couple of points that I hadn't thought about, and it's a rewarding read. Perhaps you'll find it useful.


Have a great weekend, all you lovely, thoughtful, sensitive souls. If you must write, have a good weep over it, or a loud chuckle, love every word, and remind yourself how lucky you are to be writers.

POSTSCRIPT: Just received a request for another partial for Hafan Deg. This is new to me, so I wrote a polite response explaining the thirty day exclusive on the Full MS. I'm assuming I'm not meant to send partials during this time either. Anyone know for sure? In the meantime, I've removed the 3-chapter Link from here as well, to be fair. Hope someone out there is smarter than I feel right now...

Self-Publishing Revisited, PAGE Counts?

A few posts back, I wrote about self-publishing, expressing my own view that conventional publishing is preferable for the serious writer. Well, I came across an article that takes a totally different approach, and I felt it was only fair to share the link with you as we need to be open-minded in this changing world, and I'd hate to think (as if I had that kind of influence!) that I'd deterred some of you from self-publishing when you might forge ahead because of it. Here's the article at Writer's Digest. Perhaps you'll leave your comment for me. I'm interested in what you think about it.

I've been a little tired of late, and I know it's caused by too much immersion in the writing process. At present I'm researching aspects of WWII, as it applies to the RAF Bomber Command in Britain. It's a fascinating read, all of it, but you get caught up in individual stories and photographs and it leads you away from the original point of the research. Looking at the those lovely young men, ready to fly out on their next mission, uncertain if they'll return, I am struck by how very young they were. It's true today, of course, with so many young people at war, and I am selfishly relieved that my own sons have been spared such involvement.

All of this has added to this weariness, which is not physical. It comes from a deep emotional pull into those bygone lives, a draining process. I am a product of the so-called Protest Generation. We thought we were actually making a difference back then. Yet still we are at war. Call us naive, over-optimistic, stoned, we had a sense that the world could know peace. So much for that.

May I just remind you guys of a little thing that I had overlooked myself at the beginning of this blogging process. The number of pages you've written is irrelevant. Depending on the size of the font (which, it's recommended, should be 12 pt Courier or Times New Roman) the number of pages will vary. The only thing that matters is the word count, which you can find in "Tools" in your Word program. I mention this here today because I think there are some of you who don't know this. Thought this might be helpful.

Never hang back from asking a question that you feel is a tad silly - that you figure everyone knows, except you. I Googled a lot to get answers to dumb questions, and mostly got the answers. But we're all friends here, and need to support each other. If you still haven't received a satisfactory answer, comment here. I'm not for one minute suggesting that I know everything, on the contrary, but I know many of my readers are really smart. Someone will know the answer.