Progress Report—Back to the Manuscript (Editing Update)

I'm still plugging away on the edits to my latest manuscript. As mentioned in my last post, it's not something I truly enjoy but it has to be done.

Making the edits

The time-consuming and intense process basically involves rereading the 93k words to accept or reject edits, consider suggestions, and answer questions on such things as timeline, characters, and scenes. I can usually spend about five hours daily, with a short break, focused on the manuscript before my head feels like it is spinning in all directions.

The deadline for returning the manuscript is June 1. I thought I would be finished with it this past weekend but now it looks more like next weekend. 

And even then, I will probably sit on it for a few days to mull over parts before clicking the send button. 

It's a slow undertaking but I want to be satisfied (as much as an author can be because we're never totally satisfied) with the final version that will become a published novel.

Until the next time. . . . 

Progress Report -- First Draft

I've cleared a big hurdle on my work in progress -- the first draft. 

My goal was to have it completed by Oct. 31, so I was only one day off the mark. I've written nearly 71,000 words in the sequel to "Old Ways and New Days," which was published October 2015.

I'll probably sit on it a few days before going back for the first of several rewrites. I hope to have it ready for my publisher by the end of the year. Let me repeat that. I hope to have it ready...

During the next few days I'll skim over my notes on OWND and the new work, and probably give OWND a quick read to make sure I have everything down -- timeline, characters, scenes, subplots -- to expand and extend the story. There will be a new set of note cards and reference sheets to guide me along the way. It's kind of like being in school again.

The manuscript will probably grow during the rewrites. In the past, I've generally added 20,000 or more words to an overall count although I do some trimming, sometimes extensive, along the way as well. I prefer shorter novels, in the 75k range, but in the end, it's the story that really dictates how long it will be when it's ready to be published.  

It's an interesting and time-consuming process. But it can get tedious as well, especially when going over the manuscript nine or 10 times before turning it over to an editor. I must admit that I get tired of reading the words after about the fifth or sixth time. That's when a good editor is invaluable because they see things that you don't see or that you think you see on the screen.  

That's all for now. I'll keep you posted along the way to publication and beyond.

Until the next time.... 

Back to the Manuscript: Part 12

I've completed proofreading the hard copy of my work in progress, which actually turned into two revisions (you called it, Roger!).

I've made all the red-pen corrections, rewrote several passages, added several more, and deleted a few as well as ran the usual spelling-and-grammar check.

I will have one more read this coming week before submitting to my publisher. I should make my self-imposed July 31 deadline with a day or two to spare. 

There are a few minor timeline items I need to fix, change some words here and there, and create a little more tension in some scenes.

As it stands, I've written 79,991 words, nearly 900 fewer than after the seventh rewrite. I ended up slicing and dicing rather than adding to the manuscript.

I still have to come up with a title. I already know the dedication.

I'll be back.

Until the next time...


  

Back to the Manuscript: Part Seven

I've completed the fourth rewrite of my manuscript and there's more work to be done to get it ready for publication. 

But the end is in sight.

As mentioned in my last post, I moved copy from the first third of the manuscript to the end. I'm satisfied with the change since it provides -- I hope -- a stronger emotional impact and ties everything together for a memorable ending. I know there will be a few tweaks but the foundation of beginning, middle and end is set.

Because of moving copy,  I had to rewrite other parts of the manuscript. Most of the writing now has to do with the timeline, which I will focus on when I go back to it -- today. There are still a few loose ends that need to be addressed but that's a standard part of the process. When I'm at this stage of editing, it's a daily process until it's transformed from a work in progress to a finished work.

I added nearly 4,000 words during the fourth rewrite that included deleting passages and tightening dialogue; I wouldn't be surprised if there will be another 4k or so when I'm finished, increasing the total to more than 75k.

I'll also give more attention to coming up with the right title for the novel. That's not easy. The working title has been "New Horizons," but after some thought, I'm not sure it reflects the essence of the story. Furthermore, there are several titles out there, fiction and nonfiction, with the similar or variations of horizon/horizons.

I want to come up with something that will make the book stand out among the thousands of titles out there. I hope to have one of those "voila" moments where it pops out and smacks me across the face -- a real knockout for a title. 

Now to work on the fifth rewrite.

Until the next time...