I got the notes back on Daughter of the Red Planet. I haven’t opened the file so I don’t know how much is marked up, but Jeanie gave me a great idea. Gonna give me some good work to do.
When she told me she liked the book, this is how I react –
I haven’t mentioned it recently, but if you’re looking for a great editor you should check her out – creechenterprises.com. Be warned that if you want the type of edits I get, you really need to tell her straight out that you want the blunt approach and you want everything she wants to mention. To me, there is no way to get a better edit than to have her go over the story elements in the near beginning and then have her point out everything she wants to.
This is one of those things that only time and learning can help you with. I want Jeanie to mark up and be HARSH with my manuscript. That doesn’t mean that she is mean. It means that she scours it over and over again to find every plot hole, every weirdly written sentence and paragraph and mark it up. To her standards, which thankfully are as strict and high as my own.
Here is the thing. She has told me where she found issues, but how I want the story told in the areas is what is most important. So I will take what I agree with and discard the rest. I won’t do that lightly. That’s so important. It’s one thing to have all those notes, but as an author who is telling the story in my own voice, it has to be written in my own voice. Jeanie respects that about her authors she works with. It takes time to learn that. The whole, learn the rule to break the rule and all.
So I’ll be going into my chapter by chapter editing phase now and making sure to fix the errors she found, clear up the issues she marked, but always thinking in the back of my mind: is this how I want it read? Is this how I want it told? I may cross boundary lines with proper grammar according to some schooling, or cross into territory that others don’t agree with. But it’s my story. And had Shakespeare not written tales how he wanted to, think of where they’d be now? He wrote how he wanted to. Stephen King writes how he does. Trust the creative voice. Find an editor who respects that. Respects your story. That’s what I love about Jeanie. She does. I hear too many bad stories about editors. This is a good one. Most people may look at the prices she charges and thinks her work isn’t quality. It’s also the author’s fault if an editor isn’t doing good work. You have to communicate with them and tell the editor what you want, and accept their advice whether you agree or not.
This again goes back to knowing how to get the best out of a person. Don’t just expect someone to know what you want. Communication is key. And trust. I trust her word. So if I don’t know for sure, I generally go with her.
Not as much writing as I’d have liked today. The brain just wasn’t cooperating. That was driving me bonkers. Got past 500 words so I’m good. I had a feeling the words may come slower if I only worked on the one story at once. haha I may end up grabbing another to switch back and forth with after all.
Especially since the number 2 in the Dynasty of Moirae series is pushing at me, so is number 3 in the Enchanting the Moon series.
Word count I started the day with: 12,904
Word count I ended the day with: 13,491
Total for the day: 587 words
Current Book I’m Reading –
A Dance with Dragons – George R.R. Martin
Originally posted on Kim Iverson's Website - http://ift.tt/22xPe1v
Comments
Post a Comment