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This week has been, well, manic with life things.

But…

 

Virtually Everything is finally ‘out there.’ If you want to have a read you can find it on Alfiedog.com http://alfiedog.com/products-page/beverley-argent/virtually-everything-beverley-argent-2700-words-science-fiction/

Woot! Awesome… Horray!

On making that step from unpublished to published author, life didn’t stop, there wasn’t a great to-do in the town, and I’m glad to say I haven’t been accosted in the streets. Consider yourself warned.

It has however highlighted a few things about what ‘joe the public’ knows about publishing stories, self publishing and how much work goes into the manufacturing of a story.

First there’s the endless days of writing, the many hours of hating the first draft because it doesn’t do what you want it to. Forget the sleepless nights while characters plot their own story regardless of your mighty planning, you know those, that’s part one of the great machine at work.

According to the voice on the street the second hurdle is publication, the mark of a professional piece of writing is an editor. If your work is self published, that’s one thing. (After all everyone can do that… can’t they just?) But it is so much more impressive if you have had to get past an editor for part two – or some other form of gatekeeper. If you haven’t done that, then you’re just playing at writing.

 Now, we, the informed production team know the case isn’t as simply clear cut as that, but just think, you indie-writers, doesn’t your sales pitch sound so much better when you add “I wouldn’t want to let my work out on the world unless it has had the stamp of approval from my editor.”

 It makes you sound that bit more professional.

 You’ll note that I don’t label myself as an indie/agented author, yet, so do think careful about listening to my opinion. It is only that. One accepted short story doesn’t make me an oracle, nor does a first draft-completed novel for that matter. I can’t even recommend an editor. Yet. I’m not done making that first draft read like I want it to. (You know, that bit where you turn a drivel of ideas into lovely laced together narrative.)

The week ahead is a ‘down tools’ week before I descending on the Newcastle Writing Conference. After the mess of busy-ness I have had, I am looking forward to reading for a change. (I’ll ‘responsibly’ ignore the fact that there is a deadline looming in the very near future.) So Stephen Hunt’s Court of The Air and the genre defining Difference Engine have finally moved up from the “to read” shelf to “reading.” Along with Kate Elliot’s Shadow Gate.

What can I say, I read fast. I might not get through all three, but at least I have some to be getting on with!