I’m sharing this excellent and very important blog post by a fellow writer and editor. Make every effort to have your work professionally designed, edited, proofread, and formatted. I do.
“Writers – Respect Your Readers #writingcommunity #selfpublishing” by Alison Williams Writing
I’ve seen a few tweets recently about the need for writers to hire professionals, be it editors, proofreaders, formatters or book cover designers. The reactions to these tweets seem to be split 50/50. As an editor, obviously I believe that authors benefit from having their work professionally edited. I appreciate that the cost of this […]
With so many revisions to my novel over the past three years, I began to wonder when I’ll know when my story will be at that perfect point to call it completely finished. When will it be in the best polished condition to send to my editor and then work on publishing it?
Because I don’t know about you, but at times, I’ve felt just like this frantic writer in this cartoon.
The comfort in this cartoon is knowing some writers suffer the endless revising of their novels that I fear my continuous revising may be headed for.
Therefore, I googled this question, and many links popped up. I read through at least four of them, from top ten ways to go about getting your book in the best shape to submit it to publishers to what entails revising your novel.
“Half my life is an act of revision.” John Irving
So, after picking through these websites, I discovered the basic answer. Unfortunately, it’s not a silver bullet, a “Eureka! I’m done!” kind of answer.
But if you trust in your own discernment and ability of when the pinnacle point that renders a polished product is, you’ll be on the right path.
“I have rewritten–often several times–every word I have ever written. My pencils outlast their erasers.” Vladimir Nabokov
So, it looks like while you’re going through your many revisions (I’ve lost count), you’ll be refining the wording, sculpting the scenes, sharpening the dialogue to reach that apex.
Your story will eventually culminate into a satisfying whole piece in which you will know in your heart this is the moment to tie it up with a pretty bow and send it out to the editing and publishing world.
In conclusion, trust in your own ability to discern when your story is at its best, most whole.
How has your revising process been going? How did you feel when you reached the polished stage of your writing endeavor?
Ever since I finished up college, I’ve been engrossed in writing, revising, editing, critiquing, and reading. Like nearly all day.
I’ve barely had time to stop in here and write anything.
I’m enjoying the world of my characters.
I’ve got three stories which I’m working on. I alternate from one to the other. It’s very satisfying.
For a couple of months, I’d been working on my novel, Passage of Promise. The last half of the story is still waiting to run through the critique online group. It’ll be the end of January before submitting it is done.
But several days ago, I flipped over to my WIP, What She Didn’t Know, and reread, revised, and added a few scenes.
Then I returned to my novella, Mourning Dove. I’ve been working on this for the past few days and am loving it. Using the feedback from the critters when I ran the story through around last spring, I’ve been strengthening those chapters.
I asked my husband questions on police procedures and medical issues a couple of days back, which opened up new ideas, new scenes to implement into this amazing story. I’ve only received positive feedback on this piece because of its wonderful message, decent plot, and likable characters.
Here are the two blurbs I’ve been working on with my novel and novella.
Passage of Promise:
Marina waited all her life for someone like him. But failure is Marina’s middle name. Sent by her family to the Greek island of Santorini to fetch her great grandmother’s wonder-working icon for her sick nephew, Marina finds it has been stolen. She meets and falls in love with attractive Joel, a history teacher and art collector. He helps her to search for the icon. As time sprints by in the week-long search, perpetual pressure and ridicule from her mother leaves Marina on the brink of defeat. When she finds out who took the icon, the realization nearly sends her spiraling out of control. Personal, devastating failure hits her hard, and she’s left hollow. With icon in hand and lost love stinging her heart, Marina returns home to face battles with her mother and her nephew’s waning health. Clinging to a last shred of hope, will it be enough for Marina to overcome her failures and find love and healing?
Mourning Dove:
Gabby lost her husband, Andrew, in a car accident six months ago. In the midst of struggling to emerge from her grief, she discovers Andrew’s cousin, Jordan, is homeless. With strong determination, Gabby strives to help Jordan in any way she can. While sifting through clothes in her closet, Gabby discovers notes by Andrew and Jordan discussing a special gift for her a month before Andrew’s death. Can Jordan be the key to unlocking Andrew’s gift to her? But amid this good will stands a belligerent homeless man hunting down Jordan for a past wrong. Although frightened by this vagabond seen creeping around her property, Gabby swallows her fear and focuses on aiding Jordan, giving her a new purpose in her life. But will Gabby take that new purpose too far?
I’ll probably publish Mourning Dove first, as I am still not totally satisfied with Passage of Promise.
I’ll send it to a couple publishers and see if either accepts it. If not, I’ll go another route.
Tell me what you think. Your thoughts and opinions are important to me. You’re potentially my future readers. God willing!
Modest Musings 