Three Fourths Done - Dion.

     My eighteenth book, a dramatic novel titled "Dion", is 3/4 of the way written. I've got about 65,000 words in now, and I'll see myself going heavier on this one than I did on the others. I could top 90,000-92,000 words as opposed to the standard 85,000 that I typically write. Where 5000-7000 words doesn't seem like much, it's a good two to three chapters longer; and when you're planning a book, you need to know these things.

    I'll no doubt have to go back and create a new cover for it because the cover I have now is made for a 360-page book, and this one could be 400. It's not beyond the pale to think that the book could be finished by April 18, but that's just the writing portion. I have the fluffing, the stuffing, the tweaking, the adding, and the subtracting of paragraphs, thoughts, and such. Then, I must go through it twice or three times to find the typical errors. 

    After I do all that, I'll read it again as if I've never read it before, to see if it flows. I'll make notes and changes, and then only then can I send it up to be printed. Even if it is on sale, it won't be released until around May 10-15, so I can order one real printed copy and go through one more time. I do that to be sure I've found as many mistakes as possible. Believe me, it still doesn't mean I'll get them all. NOPE...I found another 22 mistakes in "1211," and it's been out over a year now. GEEZ!

    Someday, when I have nothing else to do (queue the laughing video), I'll go back over every book I've ever written and make all the corrections I can. No, I won't, but it is a fantasy I have, so let me think I can be superwoman just once; thanks.  I don't mind making an error or two, but fifteen to forty can be disheartening when you look over your shoulder to see the Masters in English Literature hanging on the wall. Yep, it's true...I am too human at times.

    At least, I tell myself, I write. I do write, and that's a good thing. I try to do it well and correct it before it's published, but it will not be perfect. I don't know that I want it to be. It wouldn't be mine if it were. That's the #1 reason I don't hire an editor. I don't have a ghostwriter, I don't let people read and critique my books, or give me hints about what I should say - nope. I write. These are my books, and all the mistakes are mine too. I own them all.

    "Dion" means defender and/or to defend. It's Celtic, as are most of the characters in my book. It's a modern book, but it has ancient ties, tales, and stories relating to the past. Realism is real in the book, as is fantasy. It's a modern-day book with modern lingo, slang, purpose, and laws, but it does tend to reflect back now and again to the times when traditions mattered and laws were based on fact rather than the whims of this or that party. Some things deserve to be written in stone.

    Speaking of stone, Elle is just about ready to move out of the crypt she's been living in for about 12 weeks. She's been setting a precedent and proving her steadfastness to the nth degree; she's tougher than most expected. Of course, she's an American with Scottish blood running through her veins; what did they expect?  I'll let you know when it's out - but don't buy it until I tell you it's been through the wringer at least once or twice.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com  (defender)www.judestringfellow.com