Sandra Gulland's Blog, page 27
May 18, 2012
May 15, 2012
On visiting the past (present and future)
I’m very busy right now: the move back to Canada, a final draft of The Next Novel due soon, my Ink e-publishing on the verge of a launch … so my notes here will be sporadic and scattered over the next little while.
Not that I don’t have a great deal to share!
I was struck this morning by an essay written by writer-friend Stephanie Cowell, “The Mystical World of Historical Fiction.” A quote:
To sustain the journey of writing a historical novel requires passionate interest, research, many rewrites, great skill, and the patience of a saint. Lives often do not come with plots; we have to create a plot to take the reader down the path of the story. We have to say, “Come with us. We will show you something wonderful.”
Other articles of interest:
“What Makes a Critic Tick? Connected Authors and the Determinants of Book Reviews.”
An interview with Stephen King: “I never think of stories as made things; I think of them as found things. As if you pull them out of the ground, and you just pick them up.”
The image above is from BibliOdyssey: Wendel Dietterlin’s 1598 work on baroque engravings -’Architectura von Ausstheilung, Symmetria und Proportion der Fünff Seulen’. It evokes, for me, the revision process: one walks through a “finished” manuscript into a wreckage. One must have faith!
April 30, 2012
The last cut
As readers of this blog know, I’m preparing to e-book publish all my novels for the UK and beyond. What I hadn’t factored into my schedule projections was the need to proofread and re-proofread the files, nor my natural impulse to revise a novel long after it had been published.
And so — due to a comment from one of my ever-so-excellent volunteer proofreaders, Wally Rabbani — I have just made a cut to Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe that … yes … just a little, took my breath away! (There’s a scary thrill to cutting.)
I cut the Prologue. Out! (You can read it here.)
It’s written from the point-of-view of a ghost, Marie Antoinette. Josephine did believe that Marie Antoinette’s ghost haunted the Palace, and I wanted this ghost to have a role in the novel, but … no, that was too tricky (but for one scene, with hints). Hence, the ghost’s prologue at the beginning.
I’ve been fond of this prologue, but, as Wally pointed out, the reader just doesn’t need it. And he’s right. I think it’s a stronger novel without it, and that’s what counts.
April 23, 2012
My first “podcast”
The Net Promo for Luddites workshop I gave this last February at the San Miguel de Allende Writers’ Conference was recorded. It’s a wonderful service they provide. I was not only able to get the recording of my own workshop, but of two workshops I hadn’t been able to attend.
One of them was C.M. Mayo’s workshop. Catherine is not only a fantastic writer and teacher, but my go-to Tech Expert.
I had the CD, and I was able to load it into iTunes, but where to go from there? Catherine immediately emailed back simple instructions: drag file to desktop, load into podomatic.com. Presto! Here is it:
It’s long, and I doubt that any of you will in fact wish to listen to it, but I’m showing it off as a technical accomplishment!
If you want to see how a pro does it: sign up for Catherine’se-book, Podcasting for Writers. I know this e-book is going to set off creative fireworks in my soul!
April 21, 2012
Have iPad, willing to proofread?
{Image: from the National Library of Serbia Manuscripts, Cetvorojevandelje 17th century, BibliOdyssey.}
Recently I put out an unusual request on my Facebook Fan Page, asking for volunteers with iPads to proofread the e-book editions of the Trilogy which will be published soon.
I got an amazing response from my awesome Peeps: 7 volunteered for the first, 7 for the second, and 3 are now working on the third. A number of those who are now still proofing the second are willing to read/proof the third, as well.
But now I have a forth — Mistress of the Sun — ready to be proofread. Do any of you have an iPad? And, if so, are you willing to take this on? I’d email you the file with instructions. Basically, if you see an error, you highlight it.
I should explain that the reason an iPad is important is that the file is in ePub format and it’s possible, in iBook, to highlight the typos and email them to me. I’m told that an ePub file can be read on other readers, as well (Sony, for example), but I’m not sure how easy it is to email in the errors.
If you have an iPad and you’re willing, send me an email: sgulland at sandragulland dot com.
April 17, 2012
No chuffing, please! On revising, again and again.
{Cover of my e-book edition of Mistress of the Sun.}
In preparing to e-book publish my existing novels in the UK and beyond, I’ve had to have them retyped and proofed. (Thank you so much, my FaceBook Fan Page readers!)
I, too, have had to carefully reread all of them, which has been quite an experience for me.
As well as timely.
In preparing to write a Young Adult novel about Josephine’s daughter Hortense, it has helped a great deal to re-read the Trilogy.
In writing This Bright Darkness (working title of The Next Novel) — a novel set in the Court of the Sun King — it’s been vital for me to reread Mistress of the Sun.
Firstly, I’ve recognized important changes I will need to make to This Bright Darkenss.
But secondly, I have had the opportunity to revise Mistress of the Sun. (The process never stops!)
At the Banff Book Discussion Weekend this last summer, a reader questioned the use of the word “shenanigan” in Mistress of the Sun.
Quite rightly! The first use of that word wasn’t until 1855.
I considered changing “No shenanigans—” to “No nonsense—”, but that didn’t quite convey the meaning I wanted. (Clorine is warning Petite not to have sex with old Gautier.)
Exploring possibilities in the on-line Oxford English Dictionary is one of the tasks I love best, so after some searching, I settled on another word. It’s quite old, quite rare and mysterious, but I think it gives more of a sense of Clorine’s meaning:
Clorine wagged a finger. “No chuffing—”
“Don’t worry!” Petite said, cutting her off before she said more.
Do you love it? It’s a word that goes back to 1200, and it means cheating, deceit, or falsehood. Plus, if you ask me, it sounds just a little bit rude.
Update: I admit I’m chuffed over how many have expressed interest in the word chuffing. (Thanks to Anita Davison for pointing out the modern English use of the word.)
Now, another change. Although “nickname” is a very old word, it feels modern to me — and, I suspect, to readers. Thus, I’m changing it to the dignified “sobriquet.”
April 16, 2012
Awesome Audible.com
Do you belong to Audible.com? I have for years. Their selection is great, and I adore listening to audible “books on tape” (or, rather, on my iPod, etc.) while I’m doing dishes or working out. My husband and I always embark on a long road-trip with a good selection of audio books to listen to.
And now: Audible has just put aside a pot-full of money to reward authors — yes, authors. (Yay!)
For example, I, as author, will be rewarded if you sign up for an audible.com account, and if one of the first 3 audible books you buy is mine. (Do it!)
Seriously, you might want to consider because the audio edition of Mistress of the Sun (which is excellent, by the way) has been reduced from $40 to only $7.50.
If you are already a member of Audible.com, and you buy this cheap $7.50 audio edition—Think Mother’s Day!—I, as author, will be rewarded $1 for each copy sold. (This is above and beyond royalties, etc.) Needless-to-say, this is sweet.
For those of you who have audible editions of your books on Audible.com, you can easily sign up at Audible.com Author Services. They have also, interestingly enough, put together excellent guides on how to promote you audible books.
I wish this program extended to Canadian readers & listeners, and — more than anything — I sorely wish that my publishers would put out an audio edition of the Josephine B. Trilogy. (Believe me, this is on my To-Be-Discussed list.)
For my beloved Canadian readers, the same recording is available on Amazon.ca. (Although for $15.75 — sorry about that.)
April 12, 2012
77-7-7: Gotcha!
Okay, I’m going to succumb to a quick game of manuscript-tag. I’ve had a rough day, and am overwhelmed by Things To Do, but authors can have fun, too. (No?)
Author Erika Robuck tagged David Abrams (and 6 other authors) who has in turn tagged me (and 6 others).
Here are the rules:
1. Go to the 77th page of your work-in-progress or latest book.
2. Count down 7 lines.
3. Copy the 7 sentences that follow, and post them.
4. Tag 7 other authors.
(Somehow, it seems wrong not to have 7 steps.)
Here are the 7 sentences 7 lines down from the 77th page of the manuscript—aptly, the 7th draft!—of The Next Novel:
A rat swam past the winding stone stairs. Monsieur Martin and his wife could be heard in their room, yelling and piling up goods. Tenants were huddled on the landing, frowning down at the water, a girl holding a squirming terrier.
”What’s happened?” I called up, alarmed.
“It’s the river,” one of the neighbors said, his accent rough.
“It’s rising,” his wife said, nodding glumly.
The river water—all the way here?
(Did you know that the Seine in Paris has flooded many times? I was told “It’s due,” when I was there last.)
So here are the wonderful authors I’m tagging:
Check them out!
As David noted in his blog, it’s understandable if many are too busy. This is not the type of tag where you get an evil spell thrown on you if you pass. But have to say that it’s kind of fun getting to say:
Gotcha!
April 8, 2012
The smell of a good book
We're nearing the end of our half-year stay in San Miguel de Allende (Mexico). I begin to feel the push/pull of leaving one home and returning to another.
There is always the challenging business of clearing the desk — the piles! — and deciding which books go, and which ones remain behind.
The books that go back and forth are research texts. For pleasure while here, I read almost exclusively on my iPad. There is no longer a good bookstore here (alas!), and ordering on-line is expensive. When I return to Canada, one of my first stops will be at a bookstore.
I love digital reading, but I love books even more, love the sensual dimension of holding a book in my hands, turning the pages, gazing at the cover, making notes in the margins. I love, too, picking out the perfect bookmark (I have quite a collection).
This wonderful TED talk by Chip Kidd on book design brought all that home to me.
Ah, the smell of a book! As an editor, I loved when the printed book arrived: I would always take a deep sniff. (Books and horses are similar that way.)
What do you love about a book? What books have been extra special physically for you?
April 4, 2012
Kurt Vonnegut on how to write a short story
Do you agree? I'm not so sure about the last point, myself: I like a little mystery in a story.
