It’s a new year, but that doesn’t mean a shift to new writing projects. For some strange reason, I didn’t finish my 2018 projects with the turn of a new calendar year. Rather, it is as if an author’s works have no concept of time. A good example would be the NoNaWriMo projects that Paul and I took part in this year. I did finish writing the first draft of a novel which has as a working title, Rebirth within the 30 days of November. Then, I worked my way through the novel to fix up quite a few errors that comes with focused writing. In the process, the novel got to be slightly larger. Then, I sent this edited version to a few friends to get their impressions and helpful suggestions. I have received the first response with two more yet to make their appearance. When I have all three in hand, I will sit back down for a second rewrite.
As you can see, it isn’t just a simple act of sitting down to write a story. There is a process to follow that allows an author to create a better story which involves other people. Each of those other people have lives and operate within their own time frames which must be honoured if an author is to receive valuable input before the final rewrite. So when will this November novel actually make it into print? A good question for which I have no answer other than, “when it is ready.”
This time around, I am doing something different with that November novel. I will also be publishing it in French. One of my NaNoWriMo buddies wrote a novel in French which I am reading with the intent to add my two cents worth while he does the same with my English novel. Once we have gone through that reciprocal arrangement, we will translate each other’s novels. It’s a new idea for me. In the past, any on my writings that were to be published in French, were written in French. I am excited about how someone else would tell my story in French.
I did take a French literature degree that included translation into English many years ago. In that course, I learned that if ten people who were suitably skilled in translation, translated one specific literary document, there would be ten different final outcomes. Translation seems to be tied into one’s worldview, history, and language experiences in the target language. So, how will a European native French speaking person, tell my story where I come from a Canadian French speaking culture? Added to this will be a European’s experience with naturism which will be significantly different from a North American’s experience with naturism. It’s complicated, isn’t it?