The latest on the book-front is that the second proofs are done and sent back to Salt. It took a while to corner all those devil-may-care commas etc that were lying in wait to shout ‘Can’t find me, I’m your gingerbread comma…’ It was nearly always a case of me saying ‘ok that’s done, but I won’t send it in just yet’ and I’d wait a day or so and then on that day or so I would re-read the whole book again just ‘to be sure, to be sure’ and sure enough, something out of place was always found….I was amazed at the two pages or so of changes I had listed.
I am now at the stage of ‘Lift-up-your-book-,only-it-is-not-your-book-and-you-are-not- you-, you-are-a-casual-reader-with-no-connections-to-the-author’ This is called ‘Fooling Oneself Briefly Into Thinking You Can Be Objective’ – yes, I want to pretend that it’s not me nor my book and try to eek out an objective opinion out of myself about my book – the talking-to-oneself approach goes something like this:
Two characters: Pretending-Not-To-Be-Me (PNTBM) and Me (M)
PNTBM That’s about Flamenco dancing, isn’t it?
M It is and it isn’t.
PNTBM For me it’s about Flamenco dancing, it has to be, can’t see what else it would be about.
M It does have another level too though.
PNTBM Isn’t one level good enough?
M Right-oh! What about that next one?
PNTBM That’s about sunglasses.
M Yes and …
PNTBM Like the inclusion of the song ‘Gimme, gimme, gimme, a home after mid-night’
M Does that fit ok with the idea of sunglasses and the dark and darkly comic stuff like that?
PNTBM Maybe – Madam X and incognito – didn’t you used to play a game of being Madam X when you were a kid and I remember you wore lucky-bag sunglasses and faked accents and tried to make your brothers believe that you were an elusive film star who just happened to be out for a walk in the country and decided to drop in on their sand-box while they were there with buckets and spades and not exactly open to the idea of a Madam X with sunglasses calling on them.
M (stamps foot and says something along the lines of:) Hey, PNTBM, pack it in, remember you know nothing about me, ‘Nothing’- stop slipping back into the M role – you are PNTBM and I am M. Let’s begin again…
(To be continued…)
* Normal, run-of-the-mill, first-book type of talk, isn't it? Do share if you have ever had anything to do with your own PNTBM character... : )
That must have been hard work Madam X, great that it's done -does this mean the book is imminent? Sunglasses and Flamingo dancing that's what we want!What does Flamenco mean ?Watch out for that talking to yourself business though, it's okay if it's done silently in your head but gets embarrassing when having a full-blown row with yourself on the bus to skerries.Gave myself a black eye that day.Mind you I did get a whole seat to myself.I likes the fotos, but here's a qeusto I'm always aksing myself 'why are graffito faces always smilo?' I'm going to find a sad graffito face this week but first I'm gonna take myself round the corner and give myself a good talking to for not putting out the bin last night.I'm such a waster! And yeah, so am I! Watch it me -or else!who am I tellin to watch it.I'll feckin show me.....
ResponderEliminarIs it making your head hurt? Is there no-one else nearby that you can run some of this type of stuff by? Even if they're not that interested (e.g.loved one who is trying to watch football) I find having someone else in on the conversation makes it less of a head-bend. They only need pretend to listen!
ResponderEliminarx
Hi TFE,
ResponderEliminarNothing book-wise is imminent yet, at least as far as I know, actually, I think mister postie might have lost my contract so may need to start afresh with that!...only imminent thing is my trip to Ireland which I am straining at the leash for... ; )
And yes, why happy graffiti faces? This is worth dwelling on in these days of crunch and whathaveyou.
Do you know that line about a person being happier talking to themselves than talking the hind legs off a donkey! ; )
Rachel, this was just a bit of angsty-fun...have a few folk's opinion on the book and even Vlad takes to the odd bit of reading of it between other things (Barcelona playing etc) : )
I kind of like just sorting things out myself at the same time...hence the convo. above! ; )
x
2nd proofs done??!! I haven't even got my 1st set back yet. Next week, I'm told. But I did get my contract.
ResponderEliminar