Big things are happening...
... but they're happening very slowly.
Hi there,
Welcome back to Ghosts in the Library, a newsletter about writing and about reading. Sometimes I also talk about Doctor Who, but not today.
It’s been a month since we last spoke. I made great promises at the time: I was going to recommit to writing with renewed vigour and discipline; I was going to be active online; I was going to start looking into avenues for self-publishing. Have I accomplished all of this? Sort of.
Change is slow. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Self-publishing is confusing. All these equally beloved aphorisms are true. But I’m making progress, and I’m excited. More detail below.
Contents
Writing update
Reading update
Writing update
This time last month I was implementing beta feedback on relic wip, and ruminating on whether I needed another reader to review the novel before I wrapped up editing. Obviously, I did need another read, but I was dancing around it. I’ve now committed to another read, because it was the obvious smart thing to do.
In the meantime, I’ve been line editing, I think? I’m annotating the document on my reMarkable, focusing on sentence-level changes. I’m really pleased with results of my last round of beta feedback. Sometimes someone else can see your vision clearer than you can, and identify where the reality is falling short. The novel is now feeling and sounding more like I first imagined it, thanks to soemone else’s advice.
And I’m making progress on publishing! I’ve been planning since the middle of last year, but I’m at the stage now where plans start becoming actions, and real decisions have to be made. My cover design started this week. I’ve spoken to a lovely marketing professional who’s given me some great advice. I’m starting to think about fixing a publication date and setting up a preorder on Amazon. Things are moving! I’m excited and I’m scared.
My main area of underperformance this month has been my use of social media. Instagram is my preferred platform, but it’s also image/video based, which is hard.I don’t like putting myself out there. I can’t make reels. I can’t edit photos. I also have very little to say at this stage. I can only post so many cutesy desk photos. Hopefully this will get easier when I have a placeholder cover and preorder link to share.
Reading update
I’m rereading Harrow the Ninth at the moment. Even on the second read, it’s so confusing. I have to reread most sections a few times over to make sure I’m keeping up. There’s so much going on and the writing is so dense. It’s rewarding, but it’s also work, so I’m not getting through it quickly.
Prior to that, I finished up Sistersong. The ending was oddly not as weird as I expected. I think my expectations were too high. It was a good book, though not an all time favourite. A solid four out five stars.
I also read Legends and Lattes. Again, my expectations may have been too high. It was sweet and enjoyable, but I’m not itching to get my hands on the sequel. Another four out five, maybe even a three and half…?
Thank you so much for reading, and I look forward to being in touch again soon!
With love,
Aisling
(and the ghosts)
Find me
Other links can be found in my Linktree