The thing about life is you're going to always find mistakes no matter how perfect the thing looks or feels. You just can't get it right every time. No worries. I'm OK with mistakes as long as I know I've done what I can do. I downloaded Grammarly to help me with the issues I was having in my book, but when I used it, believe it or not, where it certainly did a bang-up job on some of the issues, it caused others. I had to go back and reread and rewrite the changes I had allowed Grammarly to make. My writing wasn't necessarily MY writing anymore. It was more polished, more sophisticated, less edgy, and of course, less raw.
What I found myself doing in writing my book, was that I would write as I speak, and then I'd try to dress it up with language used in the 18th Century. I did that on purpose since the book takes place from 1731-1746 basically. I mention other dates, but the book actually takes place over that period of time. I used Wilson's Border Tales series to find like language and style, and I think it worked out pretty well, thank you very much. I did find that I had to change a few words so I'm not repeatedly saying the same words too close together. CHALLENGE!!
Reading your own work is hard work, let me tell you. I tend to gloss over my own mistakes the first several times. I have to put the book down, or in my case, not open it on the desktop, and then I have to give it a few days before trying to read it for issues. I have probably gone over it more than 10 times. I've read and reread my own book at least 10 times. It's not something I can say I have ever done with someone else's book. I thought I had it all done, and ready to send to the publisher, but then I found another mistake...in Chapter One. Only six pages in and I'm screwing up. I can handle it. I'll go back over the thing ONE MORE TIME and look for tiny details that need to be changed. Geez!
I had to laugh. I was so happy about having finished it, and having it ready to send to the publisher, that I sent it out again (again) to the 10 people who have been reading it for me. They tell me about mistakes and they make suggestions about the Scots language or tell me when I should have been more specific (or less) about a certain Scottish city, site, phrase, idiom, etc. I love it. I was so excited about getting the last revision to them that I accidentally sent the dang thing to a man I have been purposely NOT speaking to; at his request. Yes, I can be an annoyance at times. I was asked not to contact him, and there I go, sending him a sex-filled crazy historical romance novel that takes place in his own country! OOPS! Well, maybe he'll enjoy himself after he begins to read the first few pages. (Maybe not, he may think I'm a total whack at that point.)
Anyway, the point of the blog is you can't make things perfect and if you did someone wouldn't like it. Someone would disagree with you. Someone would say it's this way or that way. I do know I need to go through the book to change the wrong words; I get that, and I'll work hard on it for sure, but I won't be going through it to change much about the landscaping, or the type of things one may expect an 18th Century whore to say to her husband; sorry....it stays the way it is. I like it.
This brings me to another point. I like the book. I have literally read this book 10 times and I like it. I did move a few chapters around to make it more chronological, and that was a good decision, but I like this book. I like the characters. I like the colors, I like the way they make decisions. I like the way it ends. I like the dog...she's my dog, of course, I'm going to like the dog. I really hope others like the book too. I don't measure my success by how many books I sell, but by whether or not I think the book is worth reading. It is. I tell people I would rather be a successful author with books I love than books that I don't like that made money for me. I'm not lying. I prefer quality over what could get someone's attention. That being said...I think Chapter One is bound to get a few people's attention. Just....just... sayin'.
Photo Credit: Incomediary.com
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