Editing...Like Writing A New Book

It's been a long time since I've done any work my NaNoWriMo manuscript. I've heard it's good after you finish the first draft to put it away for a month or so and then start working on it again after that. Of course, editing it right after the first draft is written gets the project done quicker, but whoever said publishing was a quick process?

Not me.

For the first time in a long time, I was able to attend my writing group. I submitted the first five pages of the story and I was anxious to hear how it would be received. And by the end of the night, I had my answer--everyone liked it. It was rough, naturally, but they all had very encouraging things to say and insightful recommendations.

And so, on Friday I began editing. It helps so much to have input that you don't or can't see when you write the words the first time. I spent much of the day editing and to be honest, I'm not sure if I spent more time editing those five pages or writing them in the first place.

I haven't had a lot of experience editing. It's something I want to do more, to get better at making a story the best it can be. I used to think editing was just tweaking something, fixing a typo, changing a punctuation, doing work without making major fixes. And maybe it is, for some. Not for me, not on this story. I found myself considering some big changes. It almost felt like I was writing a new book, mostly because when I originally wrote it, I was trying to get as many words down as possible.

The artwork in the above photo is compliments of Shanna, a writing group member. Through art, she offered some suggestions. It's the kind of personalized help you can get in a writing group. Don't know if I'll use it, but it's nice to have the option.

"Speckled"...Is It Real Now?

So, when does it become real?

I think my whole life I've asked myself that very question. When does it become real?

A few years ago I went back to school and got my masters degree and I got it in something that I found I really loved.

English.

I had dabbled in writing stories before I went back to school, but the degree pushed me, made me think I could actually put several thousand words together and get them published. Along the way I met amazing people who helped me, encouraged me, believed in me.

A couple of years later, I can call myself a published author.

Is it real now? 

When I started to write in the hopes of selling my stories, I always wondered what it would be like to be published. I went to conventions and heard authors who had done exactly that. What would it feel like to hold a book you wrote in your hand for the first time? What goes through your mind when you get the call or the e-mail delivering that news that the project's a go? Can it be as good as you imagine when you walk into a bookstore and see a book with your name on it?

Some of these things I know--some...not yet.

I always thought I'd feel like I made it when my first story sold, or when I got my first residual check. Those things happened and yet, I wasn't quite there. I was SO excited when I found out my story was chosen for the anthology--same went for the second story. Still, I didn't feel it was real.

Funny how we think sometimes, isn't it? We always want more, want bigger, want better. Today I received an advanced copy of my short story collection, Speckled. The fact that it's a physical book is amazing to me. It's fantastic. It's so cool! But I can also look at the book and see its deficiencies--that it's self-published, it's not a novel (with profit generating sequels--multiple sequels to follow...), and it most likely will never be in a bookstore.

So, to answer the question, "is it real now?" a person could go either way. No, it's not real because _______ (fill in the blank). Yes, it's real because...well, because it's real. It's a real book and after I edit the proof copy and get everything set up, I'll be able to sell it and people will read it and hopefully enjoy it.

Of course, writing novels and getting book deals and having books in bookstores--there's no guarantee that'll happen, but there's no guarantee it won't either. Chances are, if I do accomplish all those things, I could still be asking myself if it then becomes real. I hope that for me it's real the whole time.