Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Penny Royal I: Isobel ... reaching boredom threshold.

I’m steadily working through the printed out version of Penny Royal I: Isobel, but it is a bit of a grind. Certainly I’m finding mistakes but after just reading a few pages I start to lose concentration and find myself just reading instead of looking for errors. I can claim that this is due to various distractions in my life just lately, like my mother dying a week or so ago and Caroline having undergone a major operation and now slowly recovering here, but I have reached this stage in every book I’ve written. When does one send a book in to the publisher? It would be nice to say it is when you have ironed out every error, when it is perfect and polished and clear and exact. However, in my case, the reality is that it goes off to the publisher when the thought of further editing makes me feel a little ill, and when, while doing that further editing I find myself making alterations not so much to correct mistakes, but out of boredom.

After I've emailed this book to Macmillan I think it will be time for me to take a break. Maybe I should just sit and read books for a week or two (when not spending some time clearing out my mother's house) maybe just watch some TV ... or, more likely, the work-ethic monkey on my back will start pinching my ear and I'll probably turn to editing the next book.

9 comments:

Jebel Krong said...

well i'd definitely have some time off whilst caroline is recovering if you can, plus that means you'll be fresher editing the next one.

besides doesn't peter still have a red pen?

Neal Asher said...

It's not a red pen, Daniel, it's a SCARY pencil.

Unknown said...

You remind me of a remark attributed
to Truman Capote; to paraphrase it
from memory:

"A writer never finishes a book.
One day he just takes it out into
his yard and shoots it."

My sympathies for the loss of your
mother.

Ian

Andrew said...

Crikey, you're being put through the mill lately.

I think you could afford some time off with all that going on.

Looking forward to reading your new book tomorrow. Thursday is a funny day for a book launch, isn't it?

Neal Asher said...

Love that, Ian. I'll have to see if I can find the exact quote.

Andrew, not as much of a mill as Caroline is going through at the moment, believe me.

Andrew said...

Well, I did mean both of you.

I hope she gets well soon.

Grim's Reality said...

Give yourself a break man. You keep pushing you to one side and you'll be in the sh1t as well.

Paul said...

Sorry for your loss.

Paul said...
This comment has been removed by the author.