Finnish. (Bear with me, my proofreading is slow.)
Blackwatertown the book and Blackwatertown the blog have both come good this week.
A while ago Kerry View told me to hurry up and “finish the damn book. I promised to get it!”
Just the other day Tony Schaab asked, “Is your novel completely written?”
The answer is – Yes. Blackwatertown the book is complete. It has reached the finish. (I’m proofreading the text.)
Thank you to all along the way, including Cultural Snow! and Sam Henry who gave constructive criticism on the book excerpt I published online.
Thanks also to the others who say they enjoy reading what I write, that they want to see more, and that they want to buy the book. I’m talking about the people in this lovely bunch: the Systematic Weasel, Jake Kale, Polo, Chen, Andy, valerievans, Charles Dickens London, James Digby, JCRB, Nigel Good, Helen Trokara and Heather J of Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books. Apologies if I’ve left anyone out.
That excerpt is here.
There is more information on the story and on me – here.
I’m now looking for an agent. So if you know any, let me know.
10,000: Large type on the wall of the Duke of York, Belfast. Good pub. Worth a visit.
Blackwatertown the blog has been going for a few months now and has also reached its own milestones.
The visitor count made it to 10,000 this week. Thank you very much to all regular visitors – like Baino, Tony and Bas, to all occasional passers-by and to any accidental blow-ins. You are all welcome.
300 Spartans have made comments
The comment count is now well past 300. I appreciate your contributions.
For the Fainthearted was the first blog to link here. It was a great encouragement. Thanks Ian.
I also thank, and commend to you these other sites that link here – The Little Pinch of Salt, Bobballs, Stan Burridge, Cultural Snow, Head Rambles, Malachi O’Doherty, Snap, Crackle and Scribble, The Comely Banking Crisis, Exile Imaging, Life in China and other stories and Tońy Zimńoch. Thanks for sending people my way.
Writing can be a solitary occupation, plagued with self doubt. I have progressed so far only thanks to you and store-brand bags of jelly babies.
More news on agents and publishing when I have it.
Next time, less gushing about wonderful you all are. Instead, I’ll tell you about the woman who fell at my feet the other night. (Hint: It’s not a romantic story.)
Blackwatertown 
I think you’re entitled to a small Babycham now.
Unfortunately, most unfortunately, I stupidly went off the drink for June. What was I thinking?
Well done, Paul! Good luck on the agent search.
Finnish. (Bear with me, my proofreading is slow.)
This is decidedly clever. THE DOG could never have dreamed this in a thousand dog years. Now of course the site will be shut down and you will exit stage left or right or, perhaps UP?
Thanks Exile & SamHenry.
But the site lives on.
Sure, I’d miss you all now.
Dave H adds via email:
18 June 2010 at 15:45
I just read the opening pars of your book – and definitely want to read on.
People who feel able to provide multiple pars of analysis on 3 pars of text do make me laugh though !!
Stick to your guns and have the strength of your convictions – it’s your novel, not theirs!!
Good luck man – and if you have any tips about knuckling down and staying focused on the task in hand, I’d be v keen to hear them!
(and I think exclamation marks are fine! – if used relatively sparingly – I don’t like brackets though; sign of an untidy mind (according to my old English teacher))
Dave
Pingback: Of Writers and the Clever Webs They Weave Just to Say “Buy The Damn Book” « ON MY WATCH – the writings of SamHenry
Oh, now Dave, peace be with you and every paragraph you pass. May all of your edits be minor and painless. No need to stand up and be brash about helpful edits. A quiet beer at a pub – much better, Dave. A little Prozac in your tea perhaps?
Motivation in action- now, how about some shorts being published? Looking forward to reading them. Do remember (when you have time from counting all the money rolling in from selling these witty new shorts) to let me know how Coathanger Ape was conceived!
The pleasure is all mine. I only regret not having time to click on all the links you put forward very often simply because of time. Great blog and the opening lines of the book sound very interesting. I found you through Ian and a comment you made at mine of course. Good luck with the agent, getting published in this day and age isn’t easy unless you’re writing about Wizards or Vampires. Let me know when it’s published, I’ll buy a copy. Oh and shameless plug, not sure if you’re into short stories but I’ve got another blog http://creativeinfanticide.blogspot.com. Pop over sometimes and I’ll pop yer socks. (Ha thought I was mumsy eh!)
Congratulations on finishing the book and I wish you a speedy journey through the woods of agents and publishers to the bright sunshine of Publication Day!
Well done Paul, fantastic news on the book and the blog numbers! I’m very happy to have been involved in some small way. Look forward to reading the published version!
Congratulations Paul! Look forward to reading the book when it’s published.
Ah, proofreading. I should do more of that.
Of course now that you are proofreading you will need to put the book down occasionally and focus on a distant object like this update to my tab “Pop Goes the Culture – about the Cultural Slide Worldwide.”
http://samandimp.wordpress.com/pop-goes-the-culture/
The first entry will really get you laughing uncontrollably so sit down and enjoy the website I have found for everyone.
Pingback: So sorry Im late | Home needlecrafts Blog
Congrats dude (formerly JRCB here, by the way). I’m in the same boat as you now (I finished Mental a month or two ago), so good luck in the future!
Roo
Check out the tab at my blog “Brain Food Digest.” See the article onWeb publishing using the WordPress platform.
Thanks for all the good wishes folks.
Hi! We could proofread for you at a very low cost. 🙂 Congrats on your new book!
It’s certainly whetted my appetite to read more! Any chance of publishing more excerpts?
Althought I’m not a big fan of crime/detective fiction I recently read “Bleed a river dry” by Brian McGilloway, part of the Inspector Devlin series set around the Donegal/Tyrone/Derry borderlands area. A bit far-fetched, but a decent read, and it’s not too often you read a novel that’s set in your own native neck of the woods. A bit similar also to Eugene McEldowney’s Inspector McGarry series.