I'm looking forward to the final proofs which will arrive today - once I've given it the thumbs up to Penguin, it will wing its way (electronically of course) to New York where, we hope, it will make a huge splash.
After a couple of days feeling frustrated by my inability to apply the bum glue, I revisited some writers whose words of wisdom have encouraged me. The first one is Robin Hyde
In a letter of advice to the then young poet Gloria Rawlinson:
I myself write blotched attempts at poetry from a starved and strange existence. I have not distilled my abstract, perhaps I never shall. I believe that what applies to poetry applies to every art. I must practise five-finger exercises hours a day until the fingers of my soul ache. Go, search for your pearl, searching may cause pain or weariness – either an emotion. Then there’s your pearl, mellow and gleaming… your subtle fingers will know then how it should be set.
I have to assure myself that Bloodlines is safe inside my head and, when the time allows, will fall onto the page that much more developed for its longer incubation period.
Onward!
3 comments:
What a wonderful quote. Thanks for sharing it.
Page proofs I always find scary. The last chance to spot mistakes. I hardly dare look at the pages of the finished book because I am certain I will find more!
:-)
As yes, the cringe moment when you open the published tome. I am always reminded of our Maurice Gee who once said:
I could go on tinkering with my books forever. When I reread them I’m constantly recognising lost fictional opportunities, ways I could have made someone do something more interesting.
I'm not seeing too many errors for this book has been thoroughly picked over but I am seeing places where I could improve the melody, if this makes sense.
Who was it who said: "A novel is never finished, only abandoned" ?
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