I can see the finish line…on the revisions for BAD LAND, and it’s been an eye-opening experience, to say the least. As I’ve noted here before, I’ve never really used Beta readers or critique partners, my family doesn’t read my stuff…I simply sit down and write and then hand the whole mess off to my agent, who has functioned as my reader, editor and “voice of reason” for my books before they’ve gone out on submission. Carlie has been fantastic at that, but this is the first time I’ve had this level of “drilling down” into something I’ve written.
Without a doubt, each and every change has been for the better. I’m experiencing firsthand the process of turning what has always been “MY” book, into “THE BOOK” – a written work that will hopefully appeal to more than just the one lone reader, me. It’s all part of that “killing the darlings” thing you always hear about– there are bits and pieces of the book hitting the cutting room floor that definitely spoke to me when I wrote them, and still do, but going forward, I’m learning I’m no longer the sole proprietor of this book. Other people (at the moment my publisher and editor, but later, everyone else who will help get it on the shelves) have a stake in it as well – they have a vision for how this book will turn out, and a lot of hope for its success. Different parts of the story speak to them, too; I’m realizing that things that were so clear to me aren’t to everyone else, stuff I thought was important may not be, and all the things I had glossed over might actually require some extra attention. It’s clear that I’m not necessarily the “typical audience” (is any writer?) – hell, maybe I’m not even the best audience to judge what I’ve written – which is why an editor is an invaluable part of the process. My agent and editor and the publisher all saw the promise in my story, and now we’re working together to make that promise real, to publish a story that resonates with as many people as possible. It’s been work, but it’s been fun work, and it will definitely inform how I write the next book.
I may even be on the lookout for some Beta readers!
I was happy when I finished BAD LAND. It was the story I wanted to tell, the way I wanted to tell it – idiosyncrasies and all. I was proud of THAT book, just as I’m going to be proud of this NEW one.
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