I have been working hard on the editing the last couple of days after a brief period focused on other, related, issues. It’s only about a hundred more pages to go until I reach the end, which doesn’t sound like much in the scheme of things but each page seems to take at least fifteen minutes to go over. Tweaking sentences, fixing minor grammatical errors, or shifting whole paragraphs around like a sliding puzzle in order to make sure I’m getting the timeline correct – it all takes time.
The responses to the short stories I have been publishing here have been positive, which is a good sign for how the novel will hopefully be received. There are days when I question everything and days when writing and editing is as easy as breathing. But this point it’s bloody-mindedness more than passion that pushes me through the slumps. It’s no longer that I want to tell the story — I have to tell it.
Once the text is ready, then comes the illustrations. Now, illustrations I can do fairly quickly and effectively in comparison. I’ve lost track of how long this book has taken so far. Two, three years? It’s not that important really, so long as it gets done!
Meanwhile, Matthew Holmes has been a huge help in chasing up potential people through whom to print the book as a self-publisher. We have also discussed ideas about how to approach pre-orders, but more on that when there’s more to tell. Suffice it to say that we are aiming to have the ball rolling by the time of the 140th anniversary of the Glenrowan Siege. Just gotta keep at it through the tough days. It will happen when it’s ready.
Tomorrow is ANZAC Day, which will be a strange one given the current Covid-19 restrictions mean that the dawn services won’t be carried out as usual. Still, there’s never a bad excuse to find new ways to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. If ever there was a timely reminder of the ability of people to persevere in adversity, this would have to be it.
Glenrowan 