Sunday, November 5, 2017

Decisions to Be Made

Last Thursday, I met again with the instructor for my memoir. She felt under the impression that it was only my first draft and said what all people seem to say about first drafts in general--the first draft is bad.  And she thinks I'm not ready to publish. But that's just what one person thinks. I've always been curious to let others see what I have written but also apprehensive about what they will say about it.



We also discussed the idea of self-publishing. It can be done free on site on Amazon called Createspace.  The bartender own my hometown mentioned using this site for her memoir, which was then printed in book form. The instructor said a print run can cost up to a $1000. But I know someone younger than I who self-published a book, and he certainly did not have that much money.  At first, I wasn't too keen on the idea of self-publishing, but it can be hard for a new writer to be traditional-published. Putting it on the Internet is free and if there is any interest, a publisher may offer to do a print run.  The is certainly a lot to think about and a lot to try to sink in. Some very tough decisions must be made here.  People have also told me that it's my decision to make as far as when I want to publish, when I think it's done and such. Not every book can be a masterpiece.

I've pondered how I can redo some of the chapters, but haven't gotten around to it just yet. The last few days have been a bit hectic and trying to decided what to write has been a bit overwhelming right now.

Meanwhile, I've also been pondering what to write next. I'm still working on my diary novel set in the 1980s. I've written a few entries building up to the main character going "behind bars." 

Some much to decided on. This certainly isn't any easy process.

1 comment:

Elephant's Child said...

Not easy at all.
Good luck - and, as others have said, it is your work and your decision.