Tuesday, 28 February 2023

Get finishing those damn books!

 As I was scrolling through Facebook just now, this advert popped up...

It's as if Facebook can read my mind. January and February have been rubbish months as far as the productivity of this line of crime novels I'm supposed to be writing, in conjunction with Hev Tweed, under our new pen name, which is going to take the market by storm and make our fortune. (Long story, still labouring under the delusion that this is possible). 

To recap. In September 2021 Tony Lee gave me the 20Booksto50K talk, about self-publishing crime novel series. "They don't have to be well written" he says. Since which time he's been earning half a million quid a year doing it. So, as he said after six months, "where's your book?"

September 2022: Hev and I discuss ideas. I start writing.

Sept 21 2022: First draft of Murder At Her Maj completed. But it's only 20,000 words long!

Nov 1 2022: 2nd draft completed, up to 48,734 words.

Nov 1 2022: Start writing Book 2, Dead Man's Jest, with NaNoWriMo.

End of Dec 2022: 1st draft completed, stands at 56,500 words.

January 2023: Printed out dummies of both 1st drafts, to help editing. Start getting feedback from Hev. Obviously lots of rewriting needed.

Wrote short story, The Queue

Feb 1 2023: Write 2nd short story, Tea Shop.

Feb 28 2023: To Slay The Dane (1st book, was At Her Maj) stands at 53,165 words.

                    Dead Man's Jest (2nd book) stands at 59,578 words.

So, it's Tuesday Feb 28th, I'm in Edinburgh with a day in which there's nothing to do but write, a result of a teacher's strike cancelling a school visit but it being too late to cancel the flights, parking and hotel. I must find myself a cafe and, in JK Rowling style, write a masterpiece. (Or, more accurately, do the rewrites and additions that will turn these under-length first drafts into full-length publishable books).

Let us see how well I do.

Update Feb 28: After 2 hours writing in a cafe in Edinburgh, and a tiny bit of writing in my hotel room in Glasgow, DMJ is up to 60,403 words (I'm rewriting, so that involved losing as well as adding words).

My Books and where to get them:


Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy 
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon Etsy 
Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Lulu
Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy 

Eurovision Colouring Vol 1 Amazon -  Lulu  - Etsy 
Eurovision Colouring Vol 2 - Amazon  - Lulu  - Etsy 
Eurovision Colouring Best Of British - Amazon
Doctor Who Colouring - Amazon - Lulu  - Etsy 
Punk Colouring - Amazon  - Lulu  - Etsy 
70s Pop Star Colouring - Amazon  - Lulu  - Etsy 
60s Pop Star Colouring - Amazon  - Lulu  - Etsy 
Scottish Pop Star Colouring - Amazon

NB: Etsy editions are signed and posted by me, and generally cheaper


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