Rewrite

First draft of the history book finished. 80,000 words instead of 70,000 so some pruning/consolidation needed. But not just that, rewriting also which means re-reading what's written, some extra research in some cases, and then a rewrite to change the emphasis or the meaning or the interpretation or all three. Tedious work but essential if the book is to be the survey of the period 1912-1923 in the county Sligo.

And footnotes, following the style so having to check where the stops and commas go, what has to be italicised and what abbreviations are allowed and where. Now that is tedious.

And finalising photographs. These should not have been published before at least recently. I found some great ones in Bedford taken by the Regiment's photographer, presumably one of the officers. He could have done with some training in the art he had a habit of cutting off the tops of building so we get some burned out RIC barracks without chimneys. It's great to find these and they will add to the book. Other photographs are turning up from relations of people who were active in that period, some gems.

So a lot of things at the moment are being filed away in the After I Finish the Book file.

Paul Simon has a song called Rewrite on his new album which has got some very good reviews. The album, So Beautiful or So What, is being streamed online.

I’ve been working on my rewrite, that’s right

I’m gonna change the ending

Gonna throw away my title

And toss it in the trash

Every minute after midnight

All the time I’m spending

It’s just for working on my rewrite

Gonna turn it into cash