In 2015, I hired an editor to draw up an outline for my adventure to locate the lost gold bars of Camp McKinney. Several years later a ‘blue pencil’ consultation through the Vancouver Public Library added more direction to my confusion of ideas and ramblings. Despite the failings, the second editor appreciated the storyline and my writing voice. Her remarks were great encouragement for me to continue.
The hardest portion of the quest for me was to admit I did not locate the lost gold, pick an ending for the memoir and stick with it. I never expected it to end in anything less than a golden success. Of course, it still can even as I prepare to share my search details in the memoir. Mathew Roderick’s spirit related to me that the treasure was not what I thought. Those words mystified me for years until at last, I realize the real treasure may well be the story itself. It certainly has been for me and with the right words and nearly two hundred photos, maps and illustrations, it can be for the reader too.
The third editor continued the brutal assault on my words and provided an excellent path for me to travel in order to improve the read. I canceled my addictive tv subscription and spent six months using Pro Writing Aid and Grammarly for a great purpose. Two more years passed as I lived my slow-motion writing dream to develop a book worth reading. That same editor is presently hammering my words into still better blends with the results expected soon.
Meanwhile, I continued to uncover images and maps that have been previously unpublished in stories about the gold mine. I have benefits of the electronic age that local authors Barlee, Basque, and Paterson, among others, did not. Libraries on both sides of the border have been able to do likewise and I am blessed with all the information available. While gathering material for the Endnotes, I also hired a talented woman to create the front and back cover. Between us, we are trying to display the right blend of words and images to attract potential readers. The cover will appear here soon, perhaps both versions.
In my writing ignorance, I have learned much and continue to move ever closer to “casting my little book upon the waters” of the marketplace to see if it sinks or provides me with a golden reward. With luck, my old gray matter might remember who quoted the line several hundred years ago. And finally, publish a book. (Sir Francis Bacon).
