May 10, 2014

And So It Begins...



LLLet's get ready to RUMMBLLLLLE!!!

This is it, folks. Edits on SEVEN FOR A SECRET are officially underway, and I'm bouncing in my corner of the ring, prepping for my turn to duke it out with my raw manuscript once my editor is done doling the first punches.

While our writerly insecurities hate to admit it, no can write in a vacuum. No other eyes but mine saw my manuscript until I queried it--no crit group, no trusted beta reader, family member, friend, or spouse (though I'd like to think a ghost peeked at it, the nosy thang)--so I'd be seriously deluded to think that just because it got accepted, it was perfect in its original form. Could it ever be "perfect"? Hell no. And what was its "original" form anyway? It already evolved through so many drafts at my hands and will continue to do so under my editing team's multiple pairs of eyes that see what I can't. It's humbling yet thrilling that others are willing to work so hard alongside me to shape this story into a real contender.

So no, I won't be killing my editor. With her in my corner, we'll knock out the weaknesses in my story instead. And now, as time and anticipation squirt water into my mouth and towel off my face, I await my share of Round One and pray for no sucker punches...DING!

14 comments:

  1. Are we talking flyweight, welterweight or heavyweight...?
    Good luck with the edits...

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    1. I am hoping the lightest weight possible... :)
      Thanks for the well wishes! I'm excited but getting very scared...

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  2. I think of it as my manuscript going to the spa & getting the "treatment"...sometimes the treatment might get a little rough, but when you know it's making your story stronger, it's not so bad...says the girl who cried her way through rewriting her last story's ending...

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    1. I LOVE that analogy, Nicki, and hey, sometimes the spa can make ya cry...usually when it involves a bikini wax (ooh, or the pore-extracting part of the facial! YeeOW!). I'm bracing myself for the rougher, plucked-n-chaffed bits, but will also try to relax and view the process through cucumber-slice glasses. :)

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  3. Good luck on the edits. You'll get through them. I can't wait to hear the good news when you are done.
    Best,
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

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    1. Aw, thank you, Debi! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the moral support. :)

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  4. Editing is another level of fun in the whole process, isn't it? I enjoy the developmental editing part. Not so much the copyediting. Best wishes to you with the editing. :-)
    The View from the Top of the Ladder

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    1. Thank you so much, m'dear!! You're right that developmental editing can be a very fun part of the process, and I'm psyched to get the story buffed and polished, as I know it needs it. Thanks for the positive spirit. :)

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  5. Revisions are painful...but you always find that they make the manuscript so much stronger. I find it easiest to tackle them a little at a time. If I try to do dozens of pages at once, I get stressed!

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    1. I hear ya, Stephanie! Editing overload. I'm gearing myself up to just take it one comment at a time and not like one giant essay scribbled all over with the teacher's dreaded red pen. :)

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  6. So, did you finish the edits for round one? On to round two yet? :-) Keep us posted.
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi, Debi! My editor has just finished her first round, evidently, and should be sending the edits my way any day--well, more like hour--now. :) I'll definitely give the scoop in a new post soon!

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  7. I'm climbing out of hibernation to check in on your progress. Hope you're busy kicking more #amediting butt this week :-)

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    1. Hoping to, Chris, hoping to... :) My editor is on the verge of sending me my first round of edits, so here's hoping I'm up to the challenge. *gulp* Thank you so much for the morale boost!!

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