That’s the first edit of Dying Light* done, on paper at least. Now I just have to type the whole thing up and then give it a second going over. All except for the first two chapters, which I’ve had to rush through at the behest of Sarah at HC. “Get them done by Friday,” she said with an evil gleam in her eye, “Or you’re for it!” They want to put them at the back of the CG paperback.
Personally I never read those little sample chapters at the end of a book. I don’t know about you, but for me a good book is like a nice steak. I like to settle back when I’ve finished it, enjoy the flavour it’s left in my mouth, maybe order a brandy. Pick my teeth. What I don’t want is the waiter snatching my plate away and forcing cheesecake down my throat. And if I’ve not enjoyed the book – struggled through it, spitting out mouthfuls of fat and gristle – then the last thing I want is more of the same thing. Leave me be! Etc.
I know some people love these little snippets, but not me. It’s like when they do that horrible ‘Next Time On Doctor Who…’ thing, GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I don’t want any bloody cheesecake! Ahem. Mind you the ‘Next time’ thing is infinitely preferable to the idiotic ‘Tonight on Insert Name Of Show Here…’ Don’t tell me what the show’s going to be about! I want to find out by WATCHING it! What’s the point of me sitting here for the next half hour if you can condense the whole bloody thing down into thirty seconds? Muppet.
Where was I? Ah, yes, editing. So, that’s two chapters down, forty three to go. Think I’m going to be spending a lot of the weekend typing. Or I might escape and do something creative with paint instead. Like colouring myself purple and scaring the sheep.
* Or maybe it’s The Dying Light – can’t decide whether it’s better as the definitive article or not