Friday, March 15, 2019

The Process Has Begun

I have begun the process of editing Ugly and the Beast.  My process for attacking any first draft looks like this:

Step One: email the manuscript to my Kindle.
Step Two: sit down in my recliner with my Kindle, a red pen, and a big notebook.  (I use 5-subject, college ruled.  Single subject are too flimsy.)
Step Three: read the entire manuscript, taking notes of anything big that needs to be changed, added, removed, expanded on, etc.
Step Four: input notes into manuscript

Once that's done, we move on to the next phase of pre-editor edits.
Step Five: repeat steps 1-3 (also addressing smaller edits like commas, word usage, typos, etc.)
Step Six: Input edits along the way (i.e. make a page of notes, enter that page into the manuscript.)
Step Seven: repeat the steps again if necessary, as many times as is necessary to bring to book to a level where my editor won't want to throttle me.

Until we finally move on to...
Step Eight: Send to the editor and wait.

This process can take me anywhere from 2 weeks to a month, depending on how messy the first draft was when I got done with it.  I could shorten it up a bit by putting my shoulder to the grindstone and end up a crispy writer at the end.  (Been there, done that.  Don't like it.)

Really the first step is Write the Damn Book.  Which was the hardest step this time around.  Some books are easier than others.  Sometimes it's the book, most times it's me.  This time, it was totally me.  I started UatB last summer after I got Sleeping Ugly in the publication chute.  Then my gumption fell into disarray.  But it's done now, and that's all that really matters.

What's your process? 

2 comments:

  1. Proud of you for hitting the end. I know all about that whole "gumption on vacay" thing. Same song, different verse, same ol' story. Anyway. Glad your process is moving on. I always enjoy knowing how others work through it.

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  2. I seem to be stuck at the First Step. Or obsessed with the dressmaking book...

    Yay for getting your writing mojo back!

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