I think I’ve finally figured out this Writing Thing!
In 1986, a few years before I turned thirty, I was challenged by my brother-in-law, Yvon Gagne, to write an idea I had, so I “indie” published a cute, history booklet about Penetanguishene, titled, “Welcome to… The Place of the White Rolling Sands.”
“Indie” in this case had nothing to do with the famous car race - The Indianapolis 500.” In writing/publishing terms, “Indie” means to Independently Publish your own writing, in book form on your own, to completely: conceive, write, edit, rewrite, design, arrange and pay for printing, selling and distributing. All of it. Own your own. A scary thing to do.
But with the help, editing skills and encouragement of my sister Anne, and again, her husband Yvon, I did it. It also helped that Mrs. Anna Marie Lau of Austria Printing in town, allowed me to credit the balance owing as I sold books! One needs breaks and friends in life. A subject for a future blog!
Thankfully, Mrs. Lau didn’t have to wait long. I sold the first thousand books sitting at a table outside of Penetang IGA (today’s Foodland) on three successive Saturday mornings. It also helped that the books were only priced at $5. But in my small successful way, I naively thought I was a real writer, a published author. I was, I guess. Kinda.
Looking back, the cute little booklet had a neat cover and drawings that I sketched and it suited its purpose. But it was simple and hey, it was my first attempt. I was proud of it. I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.
When Stoddart Publishing, Canada’s biggest publisher at the time, accepted my 1997 proposal and manuscript for SAWCHUK: The Troubles & Triumphs of the World’s Greatest Goalie” I thought I had arrived. I was in the big leagues. I was a real writer! I would soon find out the truth - that every writer needs an editor. A real professional editor.
Pre-warned yet reassured a few days before by Stoddart’s editor-in-chief, Don Bastian that “all good writers need editing, David,” I was not prepared for what was coming. The mark-up of the first batch of my SAWCHUK chapters was shocking when I received them by Purolator. I almost cried. I think I did. This first edit could best be labelled as, “slash and burn - in deep red!” Wow! There wasn’t a sentence or paragraph untouched, heavily or scratched out and reworded. My sister Anne looked it over and reassured me that my voice, my words, were still in it. It took me a while to be assuaged by her. But she was right.
I guess I improved as I wrote because later chapters of SAWCHUK were not as severely slashed and burned as the first ones. “Don’t worry, David, you just need editing. Pierre Burton and Margaret Atwood need editing. We all need editing. You write just fine. Don’t worry,” Don Bastian and his assistant editor, Jim Gifford, would continue to reassure me towards the end.
I would continue to improve my writing but still needed to have those same editing services to improve my work with ECW Press when they published The Pierre Pilote Story and The Red Kelly Story. Heck, Red, Waxy Gregoire and I even won the 2016 Ontario Speaker’s Book Award for Red’s biography. Not too shabby for a couple of guys from small town Penetanguishene! They were a major traditional publisher.
Which brings us to today. With The Seven Keys of Hildegard series, I knew I would not be able to get any big Canadian publisher to carry this series. They wouldn’t publish this type of story - a religious thriller. So, I was on my own again, publishing an “indie.”
I paid big bucks, (and I mean big!) to get the first two books professionally edited, designed and published. It almost broke me. So, for the remainder of the Hildegard series, I had to change strategy. I believe I’m confident and improved enough in my writing, editing and design skills to publish this large, epic and ambitious series, myself, (with a little help from my sister Anne, my BETA readers and my editing friends and of course, Hildegard.) But we’re still catching mistakes and doing our best and republishing corrected versions. Always, the voices of Donald Bastian and Jim Gifford resonate in the back of my head. “We all need editors.”
Today, after all this time and thirteen books later, I think I’ve improved with each book. Even the fourth book in the Hildegard series is better than the first, in style, content, writing and plot development - and editing. I’m continually growing and improving. I’m not the same writer I was even last year. Practice and successive books make a writer grow, in confidence, skill, style, content and product. I’ve finally arrived. I think I’ve figured out this writing thing.
My sister said my writing is now, “phenomenal.” At 65 years young, its just in time too. With four books to go, this series should have a heck of a great ending! God and Hildegard willing.
