Day 224

My skates have been flying this week, with sparks shooting out the back and everything! I’ve got 21 chapters sorted, hooray! I feel like I’m finally catching up from where I started lagging...and thankfully, my word count is increasing quite nicely in the second draft. In the first 21 chapters I have a word count of 46,645, so by the time I’m done I should have easily reached my target of 70,000 (maybe even more).

So that leaves me with 17 more chapters to go, plus the epilogue, and dare I say it? – I’m actually optimistic about having it finished by the end of this month, with a LOT of hard slog.

I’m so absorbed in it all, and am really feeling my characters. So much so, that every time I take the dog for a walk (which is valuable thinking and pondering time), I’m already planning a prequel and a sequel because I can’t bear to let them all go. I know what the next two books will be called, and I know what the opening lines will be too.

I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the Writer’s & Artists Yearbook 2012 next month so I can start doing some research into proofreading, self-publishing, traditional publishing and agents – just so I can make a decision on what my next step will be. All along I’ve thought I wanted to self-publish, but there’s a tiny element in the back of my mind that wonders whether I should try the traditional route first. And then there’s a part of me that wonders whether I should release it to Kindle first to test the waters. I’m just so undecided. So, like I say, I’m relying on the good old Writer’s & Artists Yearbook 2012 to enlighten me.

This Thursday, Easington Writers will be involved in the first workshop for the new creative writing project we’ve been given by the Durham Light Infantry Museum – so I’m quite excited to see what that’s going to entail. More on that next time...

Oh and to appease my love of travel writing, I’ve made up another blog which is dedicated to all holidays and away days I find myself going on. So far there’s two posts on there – one from a trip to Yorkshire, to see Holmfirth (filming place for The Last of the Summer Wine), Emmerdale (The original Woolpack) and Haworth (home place of the Bronte Sisters), and one from the German Short-haired Pointer Club’s 60^th Anniversary event in Doncaster. Hopefully there’ll be loads more stuff put on there as the year goes on, and it can all be found at: http://rachaelhdixonstravels.blogspot.com

Anyway, I’ll love you and leave you – I’ve got plenty of work to be getting on with!

Till next time J