Dilemmas

Since I last posted I have been looking again at self-publishing. For a long time I have considered using Scrivener, as I had been informed it is easy to convert files ready for publishing. So, I downloaded a trial version. It looked great, and I could see the  possibilities,but once I tried to use it for myself, I became quickly frustrated. The way I work is different every time. I have no formula, so my best option would be to use the blank template. Saving documents? Well, that was probably me, as I found files in places I didn't want them. I had trouble opening some of the files too. I became worried about losing work and actually copied and pasted some things into Word! I needed a re-think.

This is the conclusion I have come to (for now!). I actually like working in Word. It's what I know, and it's what people want when you submit work to competitions or magazines. I could see I would end up with two files for every piece of work I was writing. Getting to know Scrivener was going to take a long time, which would make it difficult for ongoing work. I have loads of Word files! What was I going to do?

I began researching online and using some links through A-Z of Publishing (video modules) that I had been working through since last year, and have considered two other options - Draft2Digital and Calibre. I downloaded 'how-to' sheets from various sites and printed them, as I am far better reading for hard copies, though I have saved them too, so I can use more links to useful information. The one that I will find most useful is formatting Word ready for conversion. I have tried out some of the things step-by-step, and found myself going into 'Paragraph', which I have never ventured into before! I'm taking it slow and have managed to format line spacing, font and indents. Next to tackle will be 'Headings' and creating a Table of Contents'. I am working on a particular document that I feel is ready to self-publish, but there is alot to learn along the way. However, I feel that working in Word is still the best option for me.

All this has taken a long time so far, and has been frustrating. For a while I just had to walk away from it all, especially after Scrivener!

Writing-wise, it is just nice that I can meet up with my writing buddy inside a cafe now. We no longer have to freeze on park benches, or hide from the rain. We have returned to a cafe opposite the Thames by Hammersmith Bridge, but we have also written in some nice places, such as Holland Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Canizarro Park and Wimbledon Park, and during the cold weather Hays Galleria on the South Bank, London and inside Center Court shopping centre in Wimbledon, perched on a ledge outside a shop!

I have received a couple of rejections, and am trying to brush up my first novel for (maybe) submission to a competition. Meanwhile, I recently went back to a novella I began at least a year ago, in the gothic/thriller genre. I had a bit of brainwave about splitting the story using two viewpoints. The two storylines will come together, eventually. I have been enjoying writing the scenes. I've been doing what I used to do, playing the scenes out in my head first before I write them. It makes writing easier because I know what is coming! Sometimes I make notes for later.

I have been tidying my garden shed, making it a bit more comfy, and have hung a banner inside. I swept up (potting up plants is never a tidy task!), and then I took my laptop down there. There is a folding chair with a fleece over it and a small folding plant stand that I use as a table for my paperwork. I'm used to working with my laptop on my lap, anyway. Also, I have a solar light, so I can work in the evenings, which I did one night. However, it is not warm enough to work in during the cold weather, but now our youngest son has moved out, his room will come in useful during the winter!

I have come to stop for the moment, with writing, so I am stepping back again and am reading loads. Now summer has finally arrived, I can take my book into the garden. 

Things have felt a little more normal, as I was part of a walking/singing event in the Surrey Downs last Sunday. It was terrific to sing with a bunch of others, learning harmonies. And yesterday I played badminton for the first time in about ten months. Only six of us can play, so there is a list. Someone dropped out and my name came up. I won't expect to play every week, but now and then is better than not playing at all, seeing as I've heard that racquet sports will not start again in the sports centre in September, where I play short tennis/badminton. Let's hope singing can start up again indoors by then. Fingers crossed.