Thoughts Opinions & Memories | But I Smile Anyway...

Well, some told me to leave it ages, up to three-six months, before rereading my baby. Others said get right on it. By the time you are ready to reread from the start, it will have been a while since you began anyway.

Updated this too!

I decided to take the middle road, and it’s been around three weeks.

Yesterday, I took to my printout with pencils and post-its, and read the first few chapters…

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Sonu Singh was at the ready to help me along.

And it really struck me, as I read, just how much my writing has come along since I started this project 18 years ago.

Sure the ideas are good (I think) and the characters are forming, but some of the writing!

Wow!

It’s clumsy and repetitive in places.

I didn’t know exactly how much I used the words actually and really in my manuscript, and that was the first three chapters!

But at least I’m looking at it with a more mature head now, and hopefully, I can rectify these issues.

I need to use this reread to find silly errors and plot holes and make copious notes about what needs rewriting… EEK!!!

And even though I’m not remotely at the stage where I will be ready to publish anything, I started wondering what the cover could look like.

#ProcrastiQueen – yes I believe that may be me!

This is what I came up with…

Mock Up cover

The bangles have some significance which you find out as you read the story…

I’ve been looking into the whole self vs. traditional publishing thing too, and researched agents… It’s a bit mad!

I’ve had quotes for editing/formatting too if I was to go down the ‘self’ route, and I have had some wonderful offers from great friends, to help along the way.

Once I do this mammoth reread and first change around, my next step will be beta readers.

I need to know if this is WOW! enough to even go down the agent/traditional route. Or if I get decent feedback, whether to push myself on the self-publishing route. Or if it is truly awful, and needs a lot more work!

This whole writing journey is a long and winding one, and I hope you are enjoying following it with me, Peeps! Your input has been invaluable so far!

In case you didn’t get it before, the prospective blurb is:

Aashi’s life was all set.
Or so she thought.
After finding out her fiancé was not the man she thought, she vows to put him, and her innocence behind her.
Accompanied by her brothers and best friend, she embarks upon an enlightening journey, where memories created and new relationships forged, have far-reaching effects.

I will also need to work on a synopsis too!!

This whole writing journey is a long and winding one, and I hope you are enjoying following it with me, Peeps! Your input has been invaluable so far!

Three Day Quote Challenge – Day 3

28 Apr 2018 22 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Ernest Hemmingway, Three Day Quote Challenge

I was nominated by the lovely Sidra of the blog The 7 Of Us, to take part in the Three Day Quote Challenge.

The Rules :

1) Thank the person who nominated you
2) Post a quote for 3 consecutive days ( 1 post each day )
3) Nominate 3 bloggers each day – I’m sorry, I’m a rebel, but I shall leave this open to you all!!!!!

Now, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I have taken part in this one several times as I love a good quote!

Favourite quotes were used up the first couple of times, so I decided to theme each challenge.

This time I am going with Ernest Hemmingway and his words of wisdom.

Image result for writer's quotes ernest hemingway

I fear this is where I was going wrong with my first draft… writing sober… Next time I decide to pen a novel, I shall do it with my bottle of prosecco right next to me, and save the soberness for the editing!

Remember: If you fancy having a go, please do, and link back to this post!

Oh, and while I’m at it, just a quick reminder that the Annual Blogger’s Bash Awards voting closes on Monday, and But I Smile Anyway has been nominated for Best Overall Blogger, if you fancy popping over and voting! You just need to click here.

#SoCS April 28/18 – Why/Y

28 Apr 2018 19 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #StreamofConsciousnessSaturday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Socs, Why/y

Linda’s prompt for SoCS this week…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “Why/Y.” Theme your post on a word that starts with “Y” – bonus points if you start or end your post with “Why.” Have fun!!

Yesterday – the wisdom we could glean from all that happened ‘yesterday’.

Hindsight is a great thing, so they say, so why do we end up making the same mistakes again, and again, and again?

When things don’t take the route you had planned, it’s wise to look back upon your steps , and remember the lessons learned.

You don’t want to end up following the same road again, then thinking “Why?”