Filed under: Feedback, Science Fiction, Travel, Wales, Writing stuff | Tags: blogging, Cardiff, COPD, Dinas Maelor, feedback, Ffynnon Gybi, health, Helping Cassandra, immortality, jim downey, literature, Pennant Melangell, Pentre Ifan, Pistyll Rhaeadr, promotion, Science Fiction, Scrivener, Snowdon, St. Cybi's Well, St. Non’s Chapel, St. Seiriol’s Well, St. Winefride's Well, travel, writing, Y Garn Goch
I decided that I needed to go through and re-read the entirety of St Cybi’s Well so far, start to finish, just as a way to refresh all the different elements of it in my head and to get an overall picture. While I regularly bounce back and forth in the text to make sure I’m getting this or that specific detail correct, it’s good to get a complete overview now and then. Being at the halfway point in the actual writing (though with all the planning and prep work the book is more like 3/4 complete), this seemed like a good time to do it.
So over the weekend, I did.
I’m happy to say that I’m pleased with it. Perhaps to be expected, since I am the author. But usually I’m very critical of my own writing, and seldom think that it is as good as it should be.
Anyway.
A year ago I gave a preliminary chapter list, and said that I had about 23,000 words of notes and descriptions. Well, I still have the notes and descriptions (and I am still very happy using Scrivener for the organizational aspects), but I now have a solid 55,000 words of actual book done. Here’s the actual title list so far:
- Prelude: Cardiff
- Chapter 1: Pennant Melangell
- Chapter 2: St. Winefride’s Well
- Chapter 3: St. Seiriol’s Well
- Chapter 4: Snowdon
- Chapter 5: Ffynnon Gybi
- Chapter 6: Pistyll Rhaeadr
- Chapter 7: Dinas Maelor
- Chapter 8: Pentre Ifan
- Chapter 9: St. Non’s Chapel
And the title of the chapter I’m currently writing is Y Garn Goch. These are all real, actual places, and you can look them up online if you want. In fact, each chapter opens with a brief passage from an online site (cited) giving a description/history of each location. So far some of the ‘beta readers’ have really liked this , where others … haven’t. At least not so much.
Oh, speaking of that, I could stand to have a couple new people take a look at the book so far and tell me what they think. If you’re interested, drop me a note.
Just thought I’d share this little progress report.
Jim Downey
PS: Remember, there’s just until this Friday to get your bid in to be immortalized in St. Cybi’s Well!
