The Process

I am highly trained in my field. However, that field is not writing! There were some skill sets that I could draw from, such as discipline, diligence, tirelessly working, and re-working. But I had no formal training in writing other than a fabulous high school English teacher.

I won’t say that the way I started was efficient, but it worked for me at the time. I just sat down and started writing. The story, location, characters, and plot all came quickly. But when I started revising, I realized that the opening sixty-plus pages had a lot of issues. It was more of a comprehensive outline than a book. I was fleshing out the characters and the environment they lived in, along with the story development. What was in my head had simply spewed out onto the page.

Now, this was okay. it just meant a whole lot of revising. There was too much narrative. I had to muddy the characters a bit and give them more dimension. As I wrote, I found more of my voice. But it still wasn’t right. So, I knuckled down, and after five, six, seven, (I’ve lost count) revisions, I got the front of the book where I wanted it.

I did not get there on my own. Not only did I tap my circle of trusted friends to read and give me feedback, I also researched and studied. Hours upon hours researching the nuts and bolts of writing. What others already had in their pocket from taking writing classes in college, I had to learn from scratch.

The most important moment was when a publisher gave me two pieces of invaluable advice. One, I had an issue with cross-genre. I started dark and got lighter as I went. Two, I needed to find a good editor. I will be forever grateful for this advice, and his willingness to share it with me.

I spent a long time mulling over the cross-genre issue and decided that the place I want to live in my head is the lighter tone. After revising to solve that problem, I knew I had taken the book as far as I could. It was time to invest in an editor.

Spending money on professional editing took me a while to come to terms with because I would be spending money on something that may never come to fruition. But my husband put it in perspective for me. As adults, we spend money on various things—some people take guitar lessons, buy sports tickets, concert tickets, travel, go out to eat, etc., purely for pleasure. So if improving my writing is important, investing in it is important, too, even if it means saving a little at a time to do it.

Once this decision was made, I had the daunting task to find a good, reputable editor. By chance, I happened upon Bryn Donavan’s site, Lucky Author. I was impressed with how transparent everything was on her site, including the costs. I feel it’s important to be able to look at a website, read about the person, and get a feel for how they approach the job you are paying for. So, I nervously queried whether she would be willing to edit my book. She agreed!

When I got the edits back, she cautioned me not to get discouraged, explaining that having a gazillion edits is normal. Yes, it looked like a lot when she did both developmental and copy editing, but I actually found it exciting. What I saw was that she edited in a way that allowed me to learn the rookie mistakes I had been making. I was not only able to fix the problems, I was then able to apply that knowledge to the second book. Bryn is brilliant in how she approaches her role as editor and coach, and the lessons I’ve learned have been invaluable. No, this is not a paid advertisement (HA!), it is just to say that it’s important find someone reputable that you feel comfortable with.

So, as a rookie, here are my four pieces of advice for others in the same boat:

1.) Write! If you don’t know where to start, just dive in and write.

2.) Be diligent and self-critical, and tap your trusted friends to give you feedback.

3.) Don’t dig your heels in if something isn’t working. Yes, our heart and soul go down on the page, but in reality, it’s fiction. You can change anything you want. And if something isn’t feeling right, be flexible to change it. I actually changed the motive of the murderer in the most recent revision. Nothing is fixed in stone. I also create a second document with deleted sections. Sometimes I have taken something out and then put it somewhere else in the book. Most times, I come to realize I didn’t need what I took out and I don’t even miss it. But at the time, having it there, in that “deleted sections” document gave me comfort.

4.) Invest in yourself and carefully source help.

I don’t know what is going to happen with this adventure I’m on, but stay tuned, we’ll see what happens!