I didn’t realize it had been so long since I’d updated the progress blog here. Over the last three weeks, a bit has changed with things.
My new (wonderful) editor, Lauren, sent me her initial feedback earlier in this month, which I’ve read at least half a dozen times by now. I agreed on most of what she said and will work a lot of her feedback into the story as we go through the (hopefully) final rewrite in the next month or two.
In order to get back into the mindset of A Sour Chord, I’ve ceased working on My Last Days. Not for good, just so that I can get my mind back into that of my characters from A Sour Chord. I don’t know of many (if any) authors that write two books at the same time and it’s probably because it’s so difficult to jump back and forth between sets of characters, stories, locations, etc.
As of now, I’m waiting on Lauren to start sending me detailed feedback on a chapter-by-chapter basis. That’ll allow me to go through and either edit or flat-out rewrite parts of the book to get to the goal that we’re setting out for the ending. The overall ending won’t change (I stood my ground on that, despite her recommendation to change it), but the story that gets us there will change a little bit.
What I’ve learned during the editing process
- It’s difficult to find an editor — I didn’t factor cost into this at all, I’d gladly have spent whatever it took to find someone that I felt would take this seriously — despite just being something I’m doing on a whim. I counted my emails and I emailed back and forth with 15 editors before finding something that I felt took me seriously enough to want to do the project. Many of them were either outrageous in their pricing, didn’t want to offer me a sample edit (why would you pay someone when you don’t know what their style of editing is?), or said they’d get back to me and never did. A very frustrating process.
- Go with your gut — if an editor comes across as pushy or difficult during this process, they’re probably going to be pushy or difficult to work with too. I’m glad I didn’t go with a handful of them that were really unpleasant via their emails.
- It takes a long time — I finished writing the book nearly six months ago, hoping to have it published by now. It’s left me feeling somewhat defeated that I missed my own (admittedly completely arbitrary) goal. Having friends read it and give me their input as well as the actual editing process has been mentally draining, but hopefully worth it in the long run.
From here, the final edit/draft will be completed. The cover will be designed. The book will be on sale. And hopefully, just hopefully, at least a couple of people will buy it.
Then I’ll finish My Last Days and start this whole horrible process all over again.
