Sorry for the delay
everybody! I’ve really been neglecting this
blog. But I think I have good reason.
You see, I’ve been getting my second book, Betrayal
in the Highlands, ready for publication.
From what I understand, it’ll be released at the end of September. Keep your fingers crossed!
At any rate, I’ve been
working with a wonderful editor, Kimberly Grenfell (if you need terrific story or line editing, give her a try. She has extremely reasonable
rates!). We’ve finally gotten the manuscript in good shape and off to the
publisher. Which leads me to today’s
topic.
I’ve worked with
several different editors over the years and I’ve learned something very
valuable. It seems that I am exceedingly reluctant to accept edits, especially when the matter is subjective (e.g., he
said versus said he).
Even when things are
clearly wrong, I get this tightness running down my back and I mentally say two
words that writers should never use…
“Yeah, but…!”
Yeah, but… I really
wanted that word misspelled! The English
language is dynamic and I’m trying to usher in a new era where “their” is
spelled “thier”!
Yeah, but…it really
doesn’t matter that the name of that character keeps changing! Aragorn had
multiple names! In fact, maybe that person in the chapter four is a cross
dresser, which is why I keep interchanging “he” and “she"!
Yeah, but…this is a
fantasy novel! Maybe the dead guy from
chapter three was resurrected! That’s how he appeared in chapter thirty! Or maybe he had a twin! Ever think of that?
It’s all so stupid of
me, I know.
I’m not sure why I’m so
resistant to changing things. It’s one of my worst character flaws.
How DARE you suggest
that my plot doesn’t make sense! Clearly
you just don’t “get it”!! Hummmpf!
In fact, I once got a
letter from a publisher politely suggesting that I make some plot changes and I
kept thinking, “BUT THAT’S THE WAY IT HAPPENED!” -- as if my story were really
true and I was just recording the facts.
Ugh! I'm an idiot.
It’s difficult to
change. But in order for me to become a
successful writer, I really have to let go of that resistance. I’m not saying that I need to blindly accept
all of the edits. I personally have very
strong opinions about “he said” versus “said he.” But I need to be able to open myself up to
the possibility that the changes being suggested make my story better. Moreover, just because the editor wants to change
every fifth word, it’s still MY story.
Well, that’s it for
today. Back to my day job and the stack
of exams I have to grade. Before I go,
just a friendly reminder…if you’ve read my book and haven’t already done so,
please post reviews wherever you can (www.goodreads.com,
www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.) and
please tell all of your Facebook, Goodreads, G+, and real friends!
Thanks!! See you next time!
--Rob
