Monthly Blog - July 2021
01st July 2021
Hi there,
June was a decision-making month for me. I decided a lot of things. Here are just two of them: to work out a publishing format for my podcast and to work on another ‘Work in Progress’.
Being a freelancer, as you might imagine work can be sporadic. But, like most freelancers, I use the time wisely whichever way it's going. In the times where there is ample paid work, I put aside my own writing to focus wholeheartedly on the client. But when it’s a little light on the ground, I turn my attention to my own projects and see what I can do better. That’s what happened in June.
Firstly, I decided to fish out of the archives one of my older WiPs. It’s from around ten years ago and was, essentially, a 30k outline. While the story was sound, the wording was rushed, and it required a lot of rewriting. So, two weeks ago, I read it through and made the decision to give it another go. Since then, I’ve been working on it almost every day. It’s now just over the 50k mark and I’m still just in the first quarter of it. There's a lot of research to be carried out and research takes time, in whatever form it takes.
I made the mistake of thinking, in early June that, as Christmas happens within the story, it'll need just a quick rewrite and it’ll be ready for beta-readers, an editor, and a cover designer, all ready for a seasonal release. But it never really works that quickly. I’d say I need to give this story a good few months to rewrite, then brew, before I go back and edit it again. Only after that would I get a team of beta-readers on it.
Everything takes time to make it right.
My podcast, The Versatile Writer, was gnawing at my insides as well recently because I felt I was working for it rather than the other way around. I was hurriedly writing down ideas and fleshing them out, recording and editing them just to get them out on time. It felt a little like a production line, just to beat the deadline. It was then that another podcaster suggested having ‘seasons’ of 8 episodes, take off 8 weeks and do the whole thing over again. I really gave this a lot of thought and decided that was the way forwards. That way, I can release episodes that are filled with tips, advice, and support for other writers whether they are new to the craft or have been writing for years.
This week’s episode was an interview with author and astronomer Mark Thompson whose book, 101 Facts You Didn’t Know About Space, published by Pen and Sword Books, I reviewed recently. In the podcast, Mark gives tips about astronomy, his writing processes, and even some advice on writing non-fiction. You can download The Versatile Writer free from iTunes, Spotify, anywhere you listen to podcasts.
This episodes was my last for this season. The next season begins in September and will be the long-awaited sequel to Guardian Angel that I narrated every week back in the first UK lockdown. I hope the season format works for your listening pleasure as much as it works for me, because, let’s face it, you are the reason I record it.
Lastly, I want to remind you that while there is a summer break for the podcast, there is no break for the business. For The Love of Books is still running courses, there are places available on the monthly coaching group, I’m available for freelance work (copy writing, ghost writing, business blogging, proofreading and editing), and if you have an idea for the podcast that hasn’t already been aired, I’d love to hear from you about that too.
You can also keep in the loop via my monthly newsletter. Just email me sarah@loveofbooks.co.uk with NEWSLETTER in the header and I’ll add you to the list. You can opt out at any time – just let me know and there’ll be no hard feelings 😊. In line with UK GDPR rules, I won’t keep your email details either 😊
If you'd like to comment on this or any other monthly blog, you can do so in the comment area below.
In the meantime, I’ll continue with this WiP and I wish you a happy summer month of writing and reading and listening 😊
Bye for now.
Sjb 😊
June was a decision-making month for me. I decided a lot of things. Here are just two of them: to work out a publishing format for my podcast and to work on another ‘Work in Progress’.
Being a freelancer, as you might imagine work can be sporadic. But, like most freelancers, I use the time wisely whichever way it's going. In the times where there is ample paid work, I put aside my own writing to focus wholeheartedly on the client. But when it’s a little light on the ground, I turn my attention to my own projects and see what I can do better. That’s what happened in June.
Firstly, I decided to fish out of the archives one of my older WiPs. It’s from around ten years ago and was, essentially, a 30k outline. While the story was sound, the wording was rushed, and it required a lot of rewriting. So, two weeks ago, I read it through and made the decision to give it another go. Since then, I’ve been working on it almost every day. It’s now just over the 50k mark and I’m still just in the first quarter of it. There's a lot of research to be carried out and research takes time, in whatever form it takes.
I made the mistake of thinking, in early June that, as Christmas happens within the story, it'll need just a quick rewrite and it’ll be ready for beta-readers, an editor, and a cover designer, all ready for a seasonal release. But it never really works that quickly. I’d say I need to give this story a good few months to rewrite, then brew, before I go back and edit it again. Only after that would I get a team of beta-readers on it.
Everything takes time to make it right.
My podcast, The Versatile Writer, was gnawing at my insides as well recently because I felt I was working for it rather than the other way around. I was hurriedly writing down ideas and fleshing them out, recording and editing them just to get them out on time. It felt a little like a production line, just to beat the deadline. It was then that another podcaster suggested having ‘seasons’ of 8 episodes, take off 8 weeks and do the whole thing over again. I really gave this a lot of thought and decided that was the way forwards. That way, I can release episodes that are filled with tips, advice, and support for other writers whether they are new to the craft or have been writing for years.
This week’s episode was an interview with author and astronomer Mark Thompson whose book, 101 Facts You Didn’t Know About Space, published by Pen and Sword Books, I reviewed recently. In the podcast, Mark gives tips about astronomy, his writing processes, and even some advice on writing non-fiction. You can download The Versatile Writer free from iTunes, Spotify, anywhere you listen to podcasts.
This episodes was my last for this season. The next season begins in September and will be the long-awaited sequel to Guardian Angel that I narrated every week back in the first UK lockdown. I hope the season format works for your listening pleasure as much as it works for me, because, let’s face it, you are the reason I record it.
Lastly, I want to remind you that while there is a summer break for the podcast, there is no break for the business. For The Love of Books is still running courses, there are places available on the monthly coaching group, I’m available for freelance work (copy writing, ghost writing, business blogging, proofreading and editing), and if you have an idea for the podcast that hasn’t already been aired, I’d love to hear from you about that too.
You can also keep in the loop via my monthly newsletter. Just email me sarah@loveofbooks.co.uk with NEWSLETTER in the header and I’ll add you to the list. You can opt out at any time – just let me know and there’ll be no hard feelings 😊. In line with UK GDPR rules, I won’t keep your email details either 😊
If you'd like to comment on this or any other monthly blog, you can do so in the comment area below.
In the meantime, I’ll continue with this WiP and I wish you a happy summer month of writing and reading and listening 😊
Bye for now.
Sjb 😊