How to Write a Novel in 37 Easy Steps- Part 5

If I had known how much work and frustration goes into writing a novel, I might never have started. I used "37 Easy Steps" because it's a fun title- I've honestly never actually counted- but it's probably pretty close. Don't get me wrong, I love writing and it has its moments, but yikes!

We're nearing the end of the actual writing process. I've done my first parts and my reading team has done theirs (see parts 1-4) and I've made some big changes, so what's left? Ha!  

I give it a last look through and run spellcheck/Grammarly again to catch things that have gone wrong in the editing/polishing process. I'll say it again for the folks in the back, computer writing aids are great tools, but there is absolutely no substitute for the knowledge, wisdom, and experience of real people!

So, have done "all" I can, I have to give it to my editor. We'll call her Allison. 

As of now, it's a developing relationship, but editors are scary. It's their job. Allison's job is to look at my work and help me develop a marketable product. When we first discussed it, she said, "So you know, I can be pretty harsh." Honestly, it was exactly what I wanted her to say! My work is not going to get better without honest feedback. And, as I told her, if I didn't think she'd do that exact thing, I would never have asked her.

We sit down and discuss what I'm giving her so she's not going in blind. Then she takes it home and goes to work. I know what my editing checklist looks like, but I can't imagine hers. 

She goes through it with her eyes open to the big picture. Perhaps a clue I thought was subtle was too subtle. Or I contradicted myself. Or, or, or! She gets all the time she needs. And I get to work on the next book. Honestly, by this point, I'm happy to be working on something new.

Then we sit down and she hands me kleenex while I cry over what she's said. Or she walks me through how to read her comments- it depends on who you ask. The next steps are obviously going through her comments and incorporating them into my work. I ask questions if needed, it's all part of the process. 

The single best example of why editors are vital (or why editors drive authors crazy) is in the picture below. We talked about this idea and she wrote it on several pages- enough that it finally got through to me. Her words "So what is their end game?" and "...then what?" changed everything! 

When I thought about it, she was 100% correct. I literally went back to page one and made significant changes to several characters and parts of the plot line. Worth every kleenex!

Once I've fixed all of that, it actually goes back to Allison for round two, to see if she likes how I interpreted her thoughts. If need be, that gets repeated until we're both happy. It's my book, but her insights are awfully good.

Last, but certainly not least, is my final proofreader. Mike is an old friend who (when I told him I was writing a book) said, "That's cool, I've always wanted to be a proofreader." I confess I stared at him with a dumb look on my face. I get a doctor or astronaut or whatever, but a proofreader? I'm happy to say I could help make his dream a reality. He gets the manuscript and catches the last (I hope) typos. A forgotten quotation mark or a misplaced comma, he does have a good eye. One day at work, my phone buzzed about twenty-five times in a row with texts from him. That was all the status update I needed.

What he catches is stuff that's easy to fix, so I do. Then I hit "save" and it's "done." See? 37 easy steps. And tears. And coffee- lots and lots of coffee. 

PS- Yes, Allison knows she used the wrong form of "there." Sometimes I think she does stuff like that to see if I actually read her remarks.