September Writing and October Plans

[osprey_archer]

I’ve finished a draft of my WWII mmf Gawain and the Green Knight retelling! It’s a short novella, about 27,000 words, and I think it’s a pretty strong draft: structurally solid, and although the ending needs another editing pass, I don’t have the feeling that certain sections need to be entirely reworked that I sometimes have with a draft.

Possible titles include Gaily Dressed in Green (or Gaily Clad in Green?) or A Girdle as a Lesser Gift. However, in the story I changed out the girdle for a garter as the girdles of the 1940s were not something that a man could drape over his shirt as a visible sign of that he flunked the beheading game. (Gawain ends up wearing the garter as an armband.) A Garter as a Lesser Gift?

Whatever I decide to call the book, I’d like to finish revisions in October, probably for a November release, given the lag time on getting a cover. (Not at all sure what the cover ought to look like. Any ideas? Lots of green, obviously.)

My other October goal is to finish a draft of The Vampire’s Pet (and come up with a more restrained and suitable title for it) - I have 20,000 words and I think I’m a bit more than halfway there.

Comments

[sovay]

A Garter as a Lesser Gift?

I like that.

[osprey_archer]

It's less in-your-face than Gaily Dressed in Green, which has the obvious drawback of being... well, less obvious... but also perhaps it creates a question in the reader's mind, which might be more memorable. "A lesser gift? Lesser than what?"

[sovay]

"A lesser gift? Lesser than what?"

Exactly! People will read to find out!

[asakiyume]

I like the alliteration of both Gaily Dressed in Green and A Girdle as a Lesser Gift.

--And this answers a question that comes up in a letter I'm mailing you today ;-) (not titles, but writing stuff...)

[osprey_archer]

I would probably go with the garter version rather than girdle simply because the garter is what's in the story, but it doesn't really effect the alliteration.

Very likely there will be some new writing news by the time I reply to your letter! So the question will have a new answer, maybe.

[troisoiseaux]

YAY!!!

My initial vote was going to be for Gaily Dressed in Green as a double reference but then I realized that while British WWII army uniforms were green, Air Force uniforms were blue.... both titles are great, though. Very alliterative! "A Garter as a Lesser Gift by Aster Glenn Gray" has a great ring to it, overall.

[osprey_archer]

I do love alliteration! And A Garter as a Lesser Gift does raise the interesting question of "Lesser than what, exactly?"

[littlerhymes]

YES for the finished draft! Excited to read this!

[osprey_archer]

There is no feeling quite like that finished draft feeling!