About Me

Tollesbury, Essex, United Kingdom
I was born in the Summer of 1969 in Dagenham, just on the border of East London. School was largely unproductive but enjoyable, setting me up for something of a wayward but interesting life! On leaving school I had various jobs including putting up stalls at Romford Market, working in a record shop, putting up ceilings, gardening and road sweeping. After resigning from an insurance company to play in a band, I found myself unemployed for two years. Then finally I got back on my feet and I've been a psychiatric nurse since 1997. I wrote A Cleansing of Souls when I was 22 years old and followed it up with Tollesbury Time Forever almost twenty years later. I started writing The Bird That Nobody Sees in September 2011 and it was released in July 2012. In terms of writing, my heroes are Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck. I would also include Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits as literary influences. So that's me I guess - scruffy, happy and in love with literary fiction, music and life...

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Editing, editing!

Well I've now edited 268 of the 312 pages - which by my calculations is approximately 85.897435%. I'm finding myself cutting out quite alot and adding the odd word here or there. I think this is about the fifth time I've been through the novel and it really is a valuable process. Fortunately I haven't seen any need to revise the structure. It really is just a case of tightening it all up. I have still to rewrite some elements of the final chapter but that should be okay.

I really don't think I've been this excited since Dagenham and Redbridge beat Morecambe 6-0 in the League 2 play-off semi-final a couple of years back!

My next step, now the cover has been decided upon, is to print the novel out and read it aloud. I have found this incredibly helpful before in terms of how the lines sound and how the dialogue is structured.  I have been really encouraged by the interest people have shown in Tollesbury Time Forever and my little endeavour and can't thank you all enough.

I used the GIMP programme (I know, I know!) to devise the cover and after a few hours of swearing managed to get my head round it. It really is a great tool and it's free as well.

I am in the process of putting together a website too - news of which will follow over the next few days.

Just a final word about the adaptaion of Great Expectations that's on at  the moment - the opening sequences in the marshland - where Magwitch is chasing Pip - were filmed in Tollesbury! It's true!!

Well I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and that the new year brings hope to you and all those you love.

Take care people!

Stu

4 comments:

Tina said...

Good luck with it Stu. The reading aloud business really helps, it's true.

Stu Ayris said...

Thank you Tina! You are very kind!

Isn't it incredible how our eyes see one thing when we read in silence but something else when we read aloud?

I will never cease to be amazed by the wonder of this life!

Stu

markyboy said...

Legend.

Stu Ayris said...

You too Mark mate! There's not enough of people like me and you around!