Today I'm moving on to the second installment of my After "The Call" series, where we discuss all the work that continues after you sell your book.
I recently wrapped up my line edits for my first Harlequin Special Edition book, 'Twas the Week Before Christmas. I sold this book quite a while ago, and I've written a few more since, and therefore it had been some time since I read over the manuscript. When my editor sent it back to me, it was as if I was reading it for the first time! In some ways, this was to my advantage, as it allowed me to really step back and review the book with a more critical eye.
The line edit is essentially a marked-up copy of your book, wherein your editor will tighten any prose, question anything that seems confusing, suggest deletions, word replacements, or maybe ask you to elaborate on a specific point. Whereas the revisions are more broad in scope, the line edit is much more detailed. And see, the thing is that I could just get nit picky for weeks... But ah, see, that's another thing that comes After "The Call": deadlines.
I learned a few things going through my line edit - things like words I over use. The exercise itself was great, and it will only improve my future work before I ever get to the line edit stage. It was also reassuring to have the opportunity to scrutinize the manuscript again and to be able to make changes when asked, or where I thought just needed to happen for my long-term sanity.
I spent more hours than I had anticipated on that line edit, knowing this was the last chance I had to change a word here, delete a sentence there. The AA's (Author Approvals) have landed in my inbox, and it won't be the same experience. For the most part, I will be forced to sit on my hands, trust what's there, and live with it. So why does that somehow feel like a greater challenge than writing the book in the first place?
I am so with you! I can't read my own words without wanting to tweak. But we can't, after a point, Learning to sit on our hands with equanimity is part of the learning curve, I guess. Hope I eventually learn to be more zen about it!
ReplyDeleteHi Martina! Yes, it's the urge to tweak that is the issue, even when something is probably best left alone! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThe most important thing I learned during my After The Call line edits? How to click the Accept & Move to Next button on WORD track changes :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, and thanks for stopping by. I agree that at this point, once a change is made, then that's it. No looking back!
DeleteI can so relate, Olivia! Even once the book is published, I have a hard time reading excerpts, because I'm afraid I'll find something I would have changed...
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the spine on my copies are never getting cracked:-)Well...maybe once. With a pounding heart.
DeleteTotally! I'd re-write the whole book if I could. LOL
ReplyDeleteOnce, there was a multi pubbed author giving a seminar at a conference I attended a few years ago and she was reading an excerpt of one her popular books. Well, she ended up editing as she read it to us and told us she was doing it. LOL It was funny, but I guess, in our nature as writers. :)
Now, that's funny! But I guess we all evolve over time, and there are so many ways you word things and still get the point across...
DeleteI've heard it said that books are never finished, just abandoned. There are always things to fix and different ways to express the same thought. For what it's worth, I can't open my published books. Once I can't change them, I don't want to look. :-)
ReplyDeleteI guess something like a book can never be finished. You can just keep going and going, or tweaking and changing until you decide, enough!
DeleteOlivia, the line-edit stage sounds interesting. Even though we both write for Harlequin, I'm edited out of the London office and the line-edit stage is done in-house there so I never see it. Although when the AA's come I have a really hard time holding back on what I want to change/clarify. I can see why many authors never read their books after they've been published. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting that the London office has a different procedure than New York. In some ways, your AA's might have been a bit of a surprise then! In a good way, of course :-)
DeleteYes, it was a shock to go from my neatly ordered London AAs, with line numbers and everything to three rounds with New York--line edits, AAs, and another look at the AAs.
DeleteBut it's so exciting, Olivia, isn't it, because your book is moving along and things are F-I-N-A-L-L-Y happening. :)And it's interesting to reread it after so long--I found a name change that I'd made and I DO NOT remember doing it. The best I can come up with is I must have been on facebook and picked the first name I saw--?? Next up is the cover I think! Are you December?