I’ve finally finished the stage of adding contemporaneous events to the storyline. Rendering such happenings in a way that allows them to integrate seamlessly with the story, rather than appear as mere markers in time, isn’t easy, but I believe I’ve managed it.

Now I need to begin the slightly more tedious technical edit to spot repetitions. This includes the overuse of certain words as well as the mentioning of specific attitudes from characters and particular parts of their lives. It’s quite easy, when creating as a pantster, to repeat oneself during initial story telling. That’s why editing is an essential aspect of the craft for those of us who write in this free-falling style.

This technical aspect of the process should be relatively straightforward, if somewhat less interesting than character building and story narration. But it’s an essential step on the road toward publication, of course.

The MS stands at 304 pages, 130,480 words at present, and I’m expecting the new edit will reduce those numbers. By how much remains to be seen!

I’m always interested in how my readers feel about all aspects of my published work. You’re sincerely invited to make comments, have your say here on the website. I could learn a lot from those who do me the honour of reading my work, so please don’t be shy. Go ahead, let me know what you think.

As an aside, I’m considering producing a monthly newsletter for those of you who follow this website, and I’d love to know how you all feel about that, too.