Entry #33

Tuesday, 29 August 2023

3.30pm

Just one week to go till our holiday! This week is all about tying up loose ends and clearing the decks so that when I get back from Italy I can throw myself into my first draft of the new book.

I’ve got two major outstanding jobs. One is to go over the American copy edit of Becoming Ted. I checked in on the process with my publisher in New York, only to be told that I won’t get the manuscript back till mid-September. That means I’d have to delay starting my first draft, which I don’t want to do when I’ve had lots of free time in August and did communicate this to my publisher. I don’t understand what’s gone wrong but it seems the production team forgot to work in my changes from the penultimate draft before they sent me the ultimate one. I struggle to keep track of the process at the best of times as American publishers work differently to UK ones and call some stages of the process different things – so I think their ‘page proofs’ are what we call the ‘copy edit’, for example, and ‘galleys’ are what we call proofs (but I could be wrong). What’s for sure is that in every iteration of the process, authors are handed each draft of the manuscript to check over – and reading a whole book takes a few solid days, especially if you’re trying to stay alert and look for tiny errors in typesetting or punctuation. So it can drag you away from whatever stage of the process you’re on with the next book. That’s why I try to plan my time to make sure this doesn’t happen.

What my American publisher is doing now is combining the changes I sent from the penultimate draft with changes that are due to come from a proofreader – responding to the ultimate draft – and inputting them together. Trying to look on the positive side, this may actually work in my favour as it sounds like I’ll be saved two read-throughs and will only have to do one. And I can just about make the timing work, if I keep Wednesday 13 – Saturday 15 September clear to do it; they’re the first few working days after I get back, before I start work on the first draft of the new book the following Monday. And once I do start, I really don’t want to have to snap out of the fictional world I’m creating, especially in the early stages.

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Again, trying to look on the positive side, the delay has meant I’ve been able to get on with the readthrough of my Quick Read and one of the official short novels of next year’s World Book Night, Game On. That manuscript came back again first thing this morning and I’ve just finished going through it (as it’s only 20,000 words rather than my usual 100,000+). After the last pass I was slightly worried that my original would be butchered beyond recognition; the whole point of Quick Reads is to broaden accessibility to reading by offering reluctant readers not only short books but language that isn’t intimidating so some of mine had to be simplified. But I’ve now had time to make peace with losing the Lancashire dialect I like to work into dialogue and having to tone down or strip out some of my characters’ slang and verbal tics. I understand why it has to go. And I was relieved to see there weren’t too many new changes suggested.

The only major challenge came in the scene featuring my first ever non-binary character. The literacy expert said using gender-neutral pronouns (they/them) would be too confusing for the readers they’re targeting. Part of me felt outraged at this and was getting ready to fire back an email saying non-binary people are told this all the time by people who are too stuck in their ways to get their heads around using their preferred pronouns – and surely this isn’t a reason to refuse to use them but a good opportunity to educate? But then I remembered that I’ve already pushed back on both the cover and back-cover blurb, citing political reasons in each case. I’m not sure I can fight a third battle – not without being branded awkward or difficult. Besides, I’m not really qualified to say what is or isn’t confusing for people who struggle with literacy. And not just that but I don’t want my political zeal to backfire and discourage organisations like Quick Reads from commissioning queer stories. So I reworked the scene as they suggested, cutting out all pronouns and instead, always using the character’s name. And I’m fine with it; it’s not as if they were suggesting we substitute ‘they/them’ with ‘he/him’ or ‘she/her’. At times like this, I have to remind myself that often people are doing their best but just haven’t encountered these issues before. And as a community, we need to keep these organisations on side.

Anyway, now all that’s done, I need to get ready for a zoom meeting with a TV producer I’ve met a few times who’s got in touch asking for my advice on writing a novel based on an autobiography his granddad wrote, telling the story of his relationship with another soldier while fighting in Burma during the Second World War. Thematically, this is right up my street – and my own granddad fought in Burma during the war so there’s a nice link there. And I often feel bad when I have to turn down requests for help, simply because I get several a month and just don’t have the time to address them all. This week, though, I do have the time. And I’ll never forget how much I benefitted from the input, favours and advice of friends and acquaintances at the start of my writing career. It’ll be good to pay some of it back!

4.30pm

I’ve just been sent the new cover design for Game On – and I love it! It’s much more rom-com and much more proudly gay than the previous version I was worried had been straightwashed. Plus, all the details for the characters’ clothes and colouring are accurate. The designer has even worked in Cosmo’s purple streak of hair dye and nail varnish. So I’m very happy! And I know that just a few minutes ago I was worried about coming across as awkward but I’m now glad I stood my ground. The result is an infinitely improved cover and one that’s also politically sound. I can not only be proud of it but proud of myself for fighting for what was right.

Come to think of it, maybe I should be awkward more often!