Category
September 16, 2013
One of my primary editors decided to read through my book once so he could give me overall feedback before going scene-by-scene. I got his initial feedback last night. The verdict: good, can be great, but there are some issues that need dealing with. When I wasn’t being irrationally pessimistic, this is about what I expected to hear. What surprised me was some of my reactions. When I first heard he had sent the feedback but before I saw it,...
September 6, 2013
Today I finished the second draft of my book, and I just sent it off to my editors. I’m not sure I can describe this feeling. It’s like the elation I felt when I finished the first draft, only coupled with intense trepidation. With the first draft there was only happiness and relief, relief that I had finally finished (sort of) this thing I set out to do, and that for a time at least, I could set it aside...
July 31, 2013
I named this challenge aptly. It’s the end of the month, and I didn’t reach the 58,000 word mark that I was looking for. There’s still novel yet to edit. I have failed. That’s the easy answer. Here’s the correct one. During my last challenge, I gave myself 18 days to edit 27,000 words. I managed that, barely. This time I gave myself 23 days to edit 58,000 – over double the content in only 5 more days to do it in...
July 29, 2013
If you’re looking for proofreaders, editors, colleagues, or friends, here’s what you should look for: loyal opposition. Look for those who love you and look forward to your work and want you to succeed, but will call you out when you’re not giving your best, or if your best isn’t good enough (yet). Critics can be terrible, but you need them. Avoid are the trolls, those who will tear you down to make themselves feel better, those who lack empathy...
July 22, 2013
I think one of the reasons my book is taking so long to edit is that I’m being too careful. I’m taking too much time, I’m paying careful attention to every line, I’m reaching too much for that unobtainable ideal of perfection. On the next story I write, I don’t think I’ll do that. I think I’ll be less careful. That’s not to say that I won’t put out my best work. No, I intend to do that each and every...
July 17, 2013
“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” -John Wooden If only I had done things right the first time around. In the time I’ve been writing fiction, I’ve oscillated between tightly planning out what I’m going to write and just winging it as I go. I’m still not sure what the right way is. If I plan things out I can keep the story more consistent, but I lessen...
July 9, 2013
I’ve always wondered what I look like when I’m writing. As I pace around my apartment, talking through a difficult scene or saying dialogue aloud to see if it sounds right, do I look crazy? Like a madman? Better fit for the loony bin than polite society? Probably, but then again I do fancy myself a writer. All writers are a little loony, at least if we’re any good. There’s a lot of value in talking to yourself. Sometimes there’s...
July 2, 2013
About the only social media I actually use is twitter. I like it because I can give a quick impression or reaction to something (usually, shows I’m watching) without having to think about it too much. That’s also why I hate it. I did an experiment a while ago. Instead of immediately blasting out tweets the second I thought of them, I wrote them down in a notepad and then went to sleep. Then the next day I got up,...
June 29, 2013
Thoughts are dangerous. Terrible, repressive regimes have known this for centuries. But can they be dangerous to writing too? No. But editing? That’s a different story entirely. I think that’s why editing can be so frustrating. It without a doubt lacks the creative allure of generating new content. It’s necessary, and largely what separates good writers from the very best, but is it as fun? Naw. Fun is sitting down and thinking “Okay, what would they do next?” It’s actually...
June 10, 2013
Just a few minutes ago, I finished going over the last few words of the 27,000, just barely hitting my goal*. Phew! With that, I’m officially at the halfway mark, which puts me massively behind where I wanted to be at this point. My goal was to finish editing the entire book during my season off from episodic blogging at RandomC, and I’m halfway there instead. Whoops! Granted, the first quarter of the book was the toughest by far, requiring many...