Translating And Other Goings On

I've recently started working on a second draft of the novel I'm translating. The book even has an English title 'The Consul-General's Wife'. Working on the second draft feels like a very calm activity after the first. Already, more of what I'm doing relates to my own language rather than the language I'm translating from. I'm still checking the meaning of a few things I don't know, but a lot of the work has to do with flow. It's pleasant and I have a feeling of the story coming together. It's tiring, too, though. With the first draft, I felt a bit like I was working with power tools and would keep on with the work, whatever the muscle ache. Now, I've found that after a few hours, my brain starts to seize up. I can't tell whether a paragraph flows as well as it should or not. So I have to stop, because the risk of getting it wrong is too great. This does at least mean I have a chance to get back to my own writing work again, because the rythym is different and I can combine the two things.

As well as translating and writing, I've just joined Claire King as a Fiction Editor at The View From Here. This week I've been reading submissions for the first time. It's exciting, and I'm happy to say I've already been able to accept one story for publication. We're still looking for stories, so do send us things to read. Personally I'd be really keen to see some flash fiction submissions, but I'm interested in any story as long as it moves me, makes me think about the world we live in, and what it means. 

Send away!

 

 

 

Comments

[Ckingwriter]

I'm so pleased you've joined us as Fiction Editor. It's a real experience, being on the other side of the fence. And such a joy when you get to accept something wonderful!

[katebrown]

Thanks, Claire. I think it's going to be really interesting. You're right, it is a great feeling when you can say 'yes' to a story you like.