...which is pretty much all I've been doing for the past two weeks -- along with keeping Josie two and three days a week. (I'm using Josie pics for this post because pics of me editing would be pretty dull.) I've been editing 60 pages a week for my class along with doing a read through of my 334 page novel (actually, I did it twice) in response to my editor's line edits--I needed to accept or reject them.
This was my last chance to to tweak sentences and improve word choice. After this, if I want to make changes (other than typos or compositor errors, it will cost me.)
This is standard industry practice and makes sense. Because, alas, it's always the case that another read-through will reveal things the writer wishes she'd done differently.
This time, in spite of the fact that I've probably read through the novel twenty times, tweaking merrily as I went, I still found things to improve-- places to eliminate unnecessary words, to fix repetitions, to double check against some possible anachronisms.
And for a bonus, I finally came up with a closing couple of sentences I like. On every previous read, I'd questioned my choice of words there. What happens at the end hasn't changed but I think the words are better.
And I'm really pleased with the novel as a whole. I love most of the characters and those that I don't, I at least have some sympathy for. They have become incredibly real to me.
I felt like celebrating when I hit SEND late Thursday night and returned the manuscript to the editor. Now a proofreader will go through it and eventually, so will I again.
Meanwhile, I've got forty more pages to edit for class next Thursday, after which I can lay down the electronic red pencil and think about things like Christmas gifts and Thanksgiving food. And all those cobwebs lurking in corners and under chairs. Now that Halloween's past, I can't claim them as decorations any more.
7 comments:
I like the combo of cute Josie, and her thoughtful play with her dolls with your serious comments about editing your and your students' work. There is the same amount of effort put forth by both of you, just focused upon different things. And both of you are beautiful in accomplishing the daily tasks...now to the dust and cobwebs!
I've heard that the process of writing and publishing s book is rather like a pregnancy..quite an ordeal but with fantastic results in the end. I csn't wait to read it.
I look forward to reading this one, Vicki.
Onward!
Thanks for sharing the process so well. It's so easy to think writing a book is finished when you first send it off. Good luck with this book's success. Are you sharing the title yet?
Absolutely, Elizabeth -- it's AND THE CROWS TOOK THEIR EYES
Such a delightful look into the editing process and of little Josie too! So looking forward to the book coming out, despite the gory title... I actually think the title is so compelling combined with the cover art you had showed us a while back. Should make the book sell better. After all, that is the hope of all writers, that others will want to read and enjoy the message you wanted to sent out into the world.
That last pic of Josie is just precious! It's contest worthy! We're old enough to remember all the photo contests run in Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day back when we were young mothers. It's surely a winner!
This is the drudgery part, I think. Editing such a long manuscript must be difficult. I have enough trouble editing a blog post.
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