It might mean I’m weird, but I enjoy editing.
There. I’ve said it. I always like reading over my work after I’ve let it sit for a while, and editing lets me do that. Before I started self-publishing, I almost never read my work after it was published because I saw mistakes that I couldn’t go back and correct. But when an editor sends back suggestions/changes, it gives me a chance to see the book from someone else’s perspective. That’s usually helpful.
I remember the first book I wrote, Impatient Passion. The publisher had told me how much she enjoyed the book. The first thing I read from the editor was what a great book she thought it was, and how there were not many edits. Yippee, I thought. The book is good and there are only a few changes.
Then I turned the page.
There were so many Track Changes markups I could hardly see the text. What would a book look like that had many edits? I wondered.
Fortunately, I soon got the hang of what I was supposed to do and there
aren’t so many changes marked by editors now. Impatient Passion was the first time I’d ever been edited, excluding school where “editing” meant being graded. I didn’t view it as a fun experience then. Since then I’ve come to accept that it’s a part of the writing process—a good part!
What is your experience with editing?
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Dee
Burning Bridges by Anne Krist: old letters put the lie to Sara’s life. Now, mending her past mistakes while crossing burning bridges will be the hardest thing she’s ever done.
I am of the firm opinion that D-I-E-T is a 4-letter word. It can make strong women gasp and weak women wilt. It stirs more feelings between the sexes as other, more sexual words do not. Such as, Gender A resents the feeling that they have to diet to please Gender B, and Gender B feels some guilt for the desire to see Gender A in skimpy bathing suits that might require—yes—a diet.
near the water. Nine years in Virginia Beach during my pre-teen and teen years meant that my mother and I spent March, April, and May eating lots of carrots and celery sticks. Neither of us wanted to be odd girl out when we hit the beaches—not that I did all that often with my Irish, burn-don’t-tan complexion. But still, I wanted to look the part. I can attest to the fact that dieting for summer is a stupid way to live your life, and fortunately, I gave it up many years ago.
Excerpt:
Yes, when I read something outside my comfort zone, it is likely to be non-fiction. Why is non-fiction kind of weird for me to read? Because I love romance, thrillers, police and FBI procedurals, legal mysteries, all things that spur emotion. And let’s face it, most non-fiction doesn’t really make your heart jump or adrenaline spike. Or the heart go pitter-patter. But once in a while I do pick up a non-fiction book. But only when the subject matter really (really, really) appeals to me.
Bradley) told the story of the U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima. This was a hard book to read at times, but my father-in-law fought in the Pacific as did my great-uncle, so I thought it was important. Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller (Burke Davis) tells the story of the Marine Corps legend. My father-in-law was a Marine and you say the words Chesty Puller and practically every Marine in the room stands to attention. I wanted to know why.
I don’t know if I’ve ever revealed this or not, but I am not the most disciplined person in the world. I used to be better. If I started reading a book, I finished reading the book. If I began a needle work project, I finished the needlework project. If I set a resolution at New Years, I followed through with said resolution.
things differently than when we were younger. When you feel like the whole of life is stretched out in front of you, pushing through that 1,000-page book about earthworms in the Antarctic doesn’t seem quite so bad (I said quite so bad!). You might even make your own annotations. But now? Give me a good 300-page romance and forget earthworms. I leave the 15×15 inch counted cross stitch to someone else to do now, and I usually avoid making resolutions.
Resolutions seem to be fly-by-night. If something is important enough to do, you don’t wait until New Year’s Eve and decide to do it. You weigh the pros and cons and make a logical decision. You make a plan, set a path, and follow it because you know it’s right, not because you suddenly feel overweight after weeks of holiday food. You do it because you need to and when you need to.
I remember my Catechism classes often mentioned temptation. We had the picture of the snake wrapped around the Tree of Life on the wall, tempting Eve who then turned around with an apple pie and tempted Adam. Of course, like many men he couldn’t resist a piece of pie and the rest is history. Temptation, we were taught is the thing of the devil and must be avoided at all costs—or we would be sorry. But is that true? In my life, I’ve given in to temptation lots and been happy about it. I believe that temptation isn’t always a bad thing. Am I wrong? Do the women on the Titanic regret not giving in to the temptation of that French pastry after dinner? I’ll bet they do, and really where was the harm, in the overall scheme of things?
you’re rational about it, it’s a relative thing. Accepted after weighing the negative and positive sides, temptation is not always a bad thing. And it can be fun!
I know many people bemoan the work that goes into hosting or visiting family at the holidays, but I am not one of them, except in one respect. First, about my family holidays.
wonderful! I understand how that might not be so if there is too much selfishness and too little care evident. That is if folks don’t get together to share the joys of the season and instead make it obvious that the day is about them and not everyone else. Believe me, I have been at family events where there is too much drinking or arguments spring up or one person is expected to do all the work. No fun. Not like family. If this is your situation, you might have to work harder at enjoying the holiday, but it can still be done.
large the kids have grown, with how each of us is getting more frail in our own ways or stronger. It gives us a chance to laugh with one another and maybe to cry, while sharing the load of what makes us cry. It provides a chance for photos with sparkly backgrounds, that we can examine later and smile over.
snarled traffic. This is the number one reason why no one in our family gets together on holidays—it’s too darn much trouble.
I’ve always considered myself a pretty fast writer—when I write. I mean, I could eat lunch at work and still knock out a thousand words. I have written a 90K word book in a month. But the one year I tried NANOWRIMO, I choked. Couldn’t write 300 words in a day. Couldn’t get through a chapter in a week. Couldn’t… Well, couldn’t finish NANOWRIMO.
NANOWRIMO, but I did not. The discipline that NANOWRIMO gives you is a good thing, but when faced with it I turned out to be the biggest wuss ever. It’s not for me, I’m afraid. But for those who thrive under the NANOWRIMO pressure, more power to you! Enjoy the month. I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines.
Generally, I love doing research for books. Since I write contemporary romance (mostly), I usually only have to research towns where my characters live, street names and store locations and such, if I’m trying to keep it real. But I have written few historical romances, too, and for those, research becomes a little harder. And more interesting in a lot of ways.
wanted my heroine to live. I love maps and they are one of the things I research for most books.
points. I still was easily distracted but not to where three clicks on a screen can take me to different universes, not just a small digression. Still, what did we do before the Internet?? I wouldn’t go back…
I’ll admit it. I’m cheap. So to ask what I would pay someone else to do in my place is kind of a hard one. There are plenty of things I don’t like to do—dusting, vacuuming, spring cleaning, cleaning the bathroom (notice a theme here?)—but would I actually pay someone money to do them for me? Hmm. Maybe. It’s all relative. How much are we talking here?
care of the lawn. I spent m childhood mowing the grass, but I sure don’t want to do it now. We have a postage-size lawn area, but it’s still worth it to pay a young man to fertilize, trim and mow the grass. Now there is less chance of meeting up with a snake, being injured by a stray rock, or getting sunburned on my neck. Win-win all around!