Mama Editor, week... 10 and a half? 11? Anyone keeping track?
My hefty book edits for Power and Majesty arrived last week. I went into a daze of "they want maps!" (apparently the author has to provide these, who knew?) "they want to publish my glossary!" "Whoa, author photos, better get on that," "I have DATES for everything between now and shipping to printers..." and promptly failed to start doing the actual edits for at least a week.
Well, I did finish off the draft of book 2 and then I had a cold. So I wasn't exactly slacking.
I was totally slacking.
This week, I have attacked the edits with great gusto. I am overwhelmed by how damned good they are. It's lovely to have an editor who gets your book, is in sympathy with it, and manages to make completely rational and sensible suggestions to fix the few slight problems you still knew were there. It's been an oddly soul-feeding experience.
The hard part is that I am still having to write new scenes - the only part of the book that is still not quite right is the earlier section, which covers many years (tricky) and I've always been treading the thin line between backstory/prologue and 'get the hell on with the story.' This section has always been the most divisive part of the book among my many readers, whose opinions have ranged from 'delete it and start later' to 'write more of it' and 'keep it just as it is.' Helpful, huh?
My editor has come down on the side of 'write more here, here and here," and her suggestions have worked wonders. I've been writing new scenes for days, and I have three more to do before the first section is DONE. Then I just have to get on with the rest of the edits, and hope she wasn't kidding in her letter when she said it was pretty straightforward stuff from then on. I'm learning to trust her. I hope she sticks around for the other two books. No one steal my editor, okay?
The work is good, but hard. Book is making write better. I'm tired, strung out, and starting to stare at walls randomly. I haven't had enough sleep. I have no more childcare/school until Monday. Arsenal conceded a draw in the 93rd minute. Possibly that last bit has little to do with my editing...
But the weather is getting warmer finally, and Show Day tomorrow means a honey home as well as an energetic 4-yr old, and the baby just keeps SMILING her little face off.
Really, I have little to complain about.
Well, I did finish off the draft of book 2 and then I had a cold. So I wasn't exactly slacking.
I was totally slacking.
This week, I have attacked the edits with great gusto. I am overwhelmed by how damned good they are. It's lovely to have an editor who gets your book, is in sympathy with it, and manages to make completely rational and sensible suggestions to fix the few slight problems you still knew were there. It's been an oddly soul-feeding experience.
The hard part is that I am still having to write new scenes - the only part of the book that is still not quite right is the earlier section, which covers many years (tricky) and I've always been treading the thin line between backstory/prologue and 'get the hell on with the story.' This section has always been the most divisive part of the book among my many readers, whose opinions have ranged from 'delete it and start later' to 'write more of it' and 'keep it just as it is.' Helpful, huh?
My editor has come down on the side of 'write more here, here and here," and her suggestions have worked wonders. I've been writing new scenes for days, and I have three more to do before the first section is DONE. Then I just have to get on with the rest of the edits, and hope she wasn't kidding in her letter when she said it was pretty straightforward stuff from then on. I'm learning to trust her. I hope she sticks around for the other two books. No one steal my editor, okay?
The work is good, but hard. Book is making write better. I'm tired, strung out, and starting to stare at walls randomly. I haven't had enough sleep. I have no more childcare/school until Monday. Arsenal conceded a draw in the 93rd minute. Possibly that last bit has little to do with my editing...
But the weather is getting warmer finally, and Show Day tomorrow means a honey home as well as an energetic 4-yr old, and the baby just keeps SMILING her little face off.
Really, I have little to complain about.