S.L.Luck

October 22, 20202

Yesterday was ugly. I began formatting the book for print, which is actually quite an intensive process. I thought…phssst….I can do this, no problem. I thought my marketing background would serve me well, but the truth is, I was beyond exhausted after sorting through too much information, from too many sources. My headache began at 9:00 a.m., and never left until this morning. Traditionally-published writers don’t have to worry about things like this because their publishing houses take care of it for them. Let me tell you; after the writing is done, the ugly and tedious work begins and it is absolutely not fun. Not. At. All. And I’m only talking about the file set-up here. As for the editing? I’ve grown to love editing over the years. Fifteen years ago, I hated it but today it’s actually something I quite enjoy. This said, I’m finding that the more I read literary classics, the more I find fault in my work. I’m a true believer that your output is only as good as your input. So I read the classics, hoping to imbue at least a tiny amount of the talent of the literary behemoths into my work. For this reason, I believe I’m a better writer today than I was the day before, and the day before that, but now when I start to edit, I’m keenly aware that I’m no Bradbury or Steinbeck or Irving. Maybe one day, but for now, I have to give myself a little pep talk every day, reassuring myself that weakness in my writing will slowly, slowly…slowly fade. I’ve gone through a significant edit on Redeemer, I have 5 pairs of eyes on it and I will be overhauling it a few more times yet, knowing that I could spend years on the project and never write anything else. And it still wouldn’t be good enough. Twenty years from now, I wonder if I will feel the same. Possibly, but possibly I’ll also be thankful that my younger self kept going.

On a lighter note, my e-book and print covers are out for (professional) design and I’ll share those with you once I receive them. In the meantime, keep reading and thanks for sticking with me. Cheers, Dear Readers.