Tag Archive: edit
Okay I haven’t said anything about “The Ship” lately so I thought I’d bring you all up to date on what’s happening on that front. The news is that there’s been a lot of writing and rewriting of scenes as I try to get the first draft done. As I’ve mentioned before in a previous post, I find writing the 2nd book more slow at times, but the quality of what I’m creating is better overall. Because I know some of what to watch out for. Are the characters behaving like themselves? Am I making the motivations for their actions clear? Is this believable? Are things easy to follow and not confusing for the reader? Am I doing a good job introducing and re-introducing the main characters for both previous readers and those who are new to the series?
Usually, a lot of this would be caught in the second and third drafts. But from my perspective, a lot of this has make sense to ME before I can expect my readers to follow it. And if what I’ve done isn’t working for me, there’s a problem. I’m one of those author’s who says, “Hey, this part does not jibe with what I’ve got going on over here. This has to be fixed now!” As you can tell I’m one those people who can’t leave it as is and just redo it later. I sometimes feel like I’m the character Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory”. Which would probably explain why whenever I complete a really good scene I yell “BAZINGA!”
Luckily, I’m not on a tight schedule. I don’t plan on releasing “The Ship” until the end of September or beginning of October later this year. However, in spite of this, I still want to really get a lot of this story done right the first time. And I’m taking extra measures to make sure the final product surpasses the original in quality. I’m adding a few more Beta-Readers, and grammar editors for a start. From there, I’ll be getting some professional editing done as well. I’ve already got the book cover ready and you can see down below this post. This saves some time down the road and is one of the perks of being an artist as well as an author.
Another added benefit to this plan is that I’ll have some down time between waiting to hear back from beta-readers and grammar checkers. During that period, I’ll working on book number three, “The Door”. I’ll also focus on “The Vampyre Blogs” as well. Hopefully this will mean a shorter wait time for my readers between future releases. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
That’s all for now. See you all again real soon. Take care and have a great week everyone.
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Sorry for the long silence, been busy with college and also doing a major re-write and edit of novel #1. I’ve been using the critique I was given as a guide. I didn’t take every idea on board because I was afraid of losing some of my vision, but I have used a majority of the suggestions. As a result the story seems much tighter, even more coherent, and overall stronger. I’m already over a third of the way done with it. But what to do after that? I was advised by one friend who’s already published that I go the e-book route AND query as well. I feel comfortable with this idea since I don’t have a track record behind me to show any prospective agents whether or not my writing has an audience.
So I’d like to hear from all of you as to whether you’d like to see “THE BRIDGE” come to life in e-book form? And if yes, would you like to see it come out in time for Christmas?
I want to say thanks in advance for your help and advice. I know I have a lot of people pulling for me and I do listen and think about all the advice I’m given. Take care everyone and looking forward to hearing back.
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*This is copied from my other blog “Musings of a Creative Mind”. I’ve duplicated it here because I know I have different readers between the two blogs. I hope you all understand and enjoy this entry. Thank you.*
Okay, I know I kept a lot of you in suspense this week about what’s been happening on with my manuscript that is in New York. Well, I followed up on it earlier this week and learned that it was finally looked over. Now the way the agent who has it works is as follows. She has recently hired a number of junior agents who do not represent clients yet, but read over manuscripts and decide whether they were good enough to pass on to the agent herself for review. This weeding out process helps her out immensely, because she gets so many submissions and had built up a bit of a backlog. My MS for “THE BRIDGE” had been in that backlog, which was why it took so long to hear back on it.
And the verdict is….
My very first manuscript is going to be sent on to the agent herself to read and considered for representation. Now, the agent asked if I would like to see the comments and feedback from her ‘readers’ in case I wanted to make any edits before the manuscript gets to her. I said I would. I’m very curious to see what people had to say and where I might be able to improve the novel before the agent herself gets a look. This is vitally important, because the first viewing of a manuscript is like making your very first impression with a boss or someone who you really want to impress. And since I’ve never had anything published before to show my skills or a track record of success, so showing the agent a fully edited manuscript is a very important first impression with this agent. So that is why I asked to see the comments and get the chance to do a few more edits before she gets to see it. So now I’m just waiting for the comments and input so I can begin those edits. After that, I will be sending the new draft to the agent and waiting for her to read it and get back to me.
As you can see, the road to being published the traditional way can be a long and winding one. And it still doesn’t guarantee I’ll be accepted and taken on as one of her clients, that is still up to the agent. But even if I fail this time I have options. So do you my friends. There is the E-book route, but one of the difficulties with that is promoting the novel to get the word out is entirely on you. Now if you have a good network of people who can help spread the word and wish to go that way, more power to you. But make sure you’re putting out the very best version of your piece. Get someone who really knows editing to go over it with a fine-tooth comb first. Remember, instead of making a good first impression with an agent, you’re going to be trying to make a great one with the public who you want to love your book. Be careful, take the time to get things done right. Don’t rush just so you can say, “Hey, I’ve got a book out there…” Make sure it’s a great book and that the grammar, the characters, the plot, everything is just right. An agent can help you make sure all of that is taken care of and that you’ve come out with a fantastic product.
That’s all for now. In the meantime, I will be working on the sequel to “THE BRIDGE”, which now stands at 65,000 words and is 2/3’s of the way done. I’ve tentatively titled the sequel “THE SHIP” and takes up with two of the characters from the first novel, along with two sinister beings who survived from the first novel. “THE SHIP” also introduces a new threat that is far more dangerous than either of the two sinister entities stalking my main characters.
Until next time, keep writing everyone.
Musings Of Two Creative Minds 