Today I finished the first draft of my novel,
tentatively entitled Herb Enchanter.
The main character is a 6th century sorcerer and healer in Kent,
England. The book is historical fiction, not fantasy. Enchanter and sorcerer are modern words for early Anglo-Saxon practitioners who blended magic and medicine. I actually “finished” the writing around the middle of last week, but
today I completed certain formatting changes so that it is now in a form for me
to review and revise. I started writing with Nanowrimo on November 1 last year,
and today the word count is at 102,202.
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| Medieval physicians, from the British Library manuscript Harley 1585, folio 9v. The British Library has made images from the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts available under the Public Domain mark. |
Of course, the novel is really far from
finished. I still have substantial revisions and will need to completely
re-write certain scenes. Nonetheless, it is a good feeling to have made it this
far!
I plan to take advantage of the
Nanowrimo offer from CreateSpace for two free paperback copies of the book. So
my goals for June are to make an initial revision and format the novel for
CreateSpace printing. It will almost certainly need more editing than a month
will allow before I’ll have the novel ready to share publicly, but I think it
will be helpful to go through the CreateSpace process to learn more about those
steps in self-publishing.
Congratulations on completing the draft. It is a great milestone! Sounds like an interesting subject for a novel. Good luck with the novel!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matthew! As you know from your own writing, finishing the first draft is really just the beginning, but it is nonetheless a good feeling. So far I have been enjoying the editing process - which is a good thing, because there is a lot of editing still remaining to be done.
ReplyDeleteHi Aly,
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add my congratulations on completing your first draft. I hope you get it published and that it it a great success. I too, am interested in Anglo Saxon history, so perhaps can order a copy now.
Like you, I've written a novel set in that time frame - only a little later and i wonder if you would be interested in writing a review of my book. It's entitled, 1066 What Fates Impose and is about the English succession crisis of the mid 11th century that led to the Battle of Hastings.
Naturally, I would be happy to supply you with a free copy which would be on the understanding that the review was your honest opinion.
Best Wishes
Glynn Holloway
Glynn,
DeleteI would love to read and review your book. Send me an email via the contact form near the bottom of the page and we can make arrangements.
Aly