Wednesday, March 21, 2018

(Yet) Another Draft ...


I just this moment finished another draft of Frankenstein Sundae--this endless project about chasing Mary Shelley and her work for ... oh ... for a long, long, long time.

I've got to do it one more time, I fear. Too much duplication. Too much ... much. I was shocked this time through to see how messed up some of it was--and I spent a lot of time cleaning up the endnotes, which are in need of even more attention, I fear.

But, as I said, repetition was one of the key problems, and it's a problem that is so firmly entrenched  here because, as you know, I wrote/published the original draft in serial form--generally three installments a week (M-W-F) on this site--though I wasn't always successful in doing so. Life interfered now and then.

So ... because it was serialized, I knew I had to keep reminding people, oh, about Sir Timothy Shelley's refusal ever to see Mary (he blamed her for the corruption and death of his son), about who Trelawny was, about ... well, about all the myriads of people who were significant in her life.

Another thing I lost track of (because of serialization): the footnotes (endnotes now). Each time I posted here I had to make sure I didn't use Ibid. as the first note because readers wouldn't know the work to which Ibid. referred. So, I've got major hassle in the notes to straighten out. As I said, I did a lot this time through, but ... much remains.

I am not preparing this book for a traditional publisher. As I posted here some time ago, I no longer have the time/energy to pursue them. I am old(er), ill. And if I want to get this stuff out before I'm out, well, I need to do it myself.

And so--perhaps in a month or so--I will upload Frankenstein Sundae to Kindle Direct, and those of you who are interested can read it on Kindle--or on the free Kindle app available for smart phones and tablets and computers.

This is not, of course, the way I'd ideally like to publish ("New York! New York!") . But ... "time's wingรจd chariot hurrying near" and all that. Better somewhere than nowhere, better somehow than nohow, you know?

**

NOTE: Meanwhile, I'm also getting ready to publish (same place) another volume of doggerel--101 Favorite Books--a series I'm about to wrap up on my other blog, Daily Doggerel. Should be up on Amazon in a week or so.

1 comment:

  1. This is excellent news, Dan. Very much looking forward to the release of your memoir and your list! Rooting for you!

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