There comes in every venture, every life, a handful of moments that hold the seed of real and lasting change.
I think this week has seen one such instance, because it’s happening; it’s really and truly happening!
Before we get on to that mysterious ‘it’ I’ll take the opportunity to put down in black and white my progress with my stated aims for the year.
I think this week has seen one such instance, because it’s happening; it’s really and truly happening!
Before we get on to that mysterious ‘it’ I’ll take the opportunity to put down in black and white my progress with my stated aims for the year.
Aim High
This is something I committed to doing back in January, and it’s something I’m determined to follow through on (I know, doesn’t sound like me, does it?). To be fair this month’s progress check is slightly delayed due to my beloved bride, Tina’s excellent contribution to the blog last week. Still, late is better than never so here goes.
Aim 1: - To read at least one book every month this year.
A humble ambition, and one I’m on track with. February saw me devour The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr, an excellent locked room mystery often cited as being one of the best of the genre. This month, I’m taking on a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, namely a collection of his short stories including The Murder in the Rue Morgue.
Aim 2:- To learn Turkish before this year’s holiday in September.
This continues apace thanks to Duolingo. True, it sometimes feels like one step forward and two steps back, especially when it comes to pronouns, but bits and pieces are dropping in and I’m yet to miss a day of lessons.
Aim 3:- Become a published author this year.
And this is where we return to the start of the post, because this is happening.
This is something I committed to doing back in January, and it’s something I’m determined to follow through on (I know, doesn’t sound like me, does it?). To be fair this month’s progress check is slightly delayed due to my beloved bride, Tina’s excellent contribution to the blog last week. Still, late is better than never so here goes.
Aim 1: - To read at least one book every month this year.
A humble ambition, and one I’m on track with. February saw me devour The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr, an excellent locked room mystery often cited as being one of the best of the genre. This month, I’m taking on a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, namely a collection of his short stories including The Murder in the Rue Morgue.
Aim 2:- To learn Turkish before this year’s holiday in September.
This continues apace thanks to Duolingo. True, it sometimes feels like one step forward and two steps back, especially when it comes to pronouns, but bits and pieces are dropping in and I’m yet to miss a day of lessons.
Aim 3:- Become a published author this year.
And this is where we return to the start of the post, because this is happening.
Somewhat naively, I believed that the actual writing would be the hardest part of becoming an author but even when the last full stop is committed to, there is so much more to do.
To Do
Having decided to go for the self-publishing route and had the manuscript proofread, thanks to a friend who puts the D into OCD, I’ve been busy researching what else needs to be done.
This includes the purchasing of ISBNs (International Standard Book Number) a way for retailers such as Amazon KDP (who will probably be my first port of call) to accurately identify different versions of different books, as well as cover design for both print and electronic versions. This last is the thing that is proving to be the most time and resource consuming as there are so many choices available, but it’s finding the best, most trustworthy, and most cost effective option.
I’m currently reaching out to some of the small-print publishers who have seen fit to include some of my short stories in various anthologies in order to find a solution to this. Amazon will provide the service, but, apparently it’s not always the best and it can’t be taken with you if you take the book to other outlets meaning the can is only kicked a little further down the road.
Should…
Still, once this difficulty is overcome, I should be good to go. Amazon KDP does help with the layout of the book, including margins, page counts, and all of that so with a little note-taking I should be able to take that forward om my journey.
Should…
Still, once this difficulty is overcome, I should be good to go. Amazon KDP does help with the layout of the book, including margins, page counts, and all of that so with a little note-taking I should be able to take that forward om my journey.
Hopefully, with a little luck, this should mean I have at least one aim conquered by this time next month. That’s not a promise. I won’t sacrifice quality on the altar of arbitrary deadlines. With a little luck and a following wind, though it won’t be too much longer.
It feels like the momentum is unstoppable at this stage. It feels like it’s actually happening. A couple more hurdles and I’ll be on the home straight leaving me with just the marketing and sales to worry about while I write book two.
Wish me luck!
Until next time!
#
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
It feels like the momentum is unstoppable at this stage. It feels like it’s actually happening. A couple more hurdles and I’ll be on the home straight leaving me with just the marketing and sales to worry about while I write book two.
Wish me luck!
Until next time!
#
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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