I have picked my five of my favorite authors/writers. They
are going to be talking about their writing process. So stop by the next couple of weeks on Thursdays to see what
they have to say! Now on to the
introductions!
Carrie Butler:
Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree
into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her
out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect
of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point
her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.
Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband,
and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games,
comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.
Komal recently finished her debut novel, IMPOSSIBLE, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become
popular, and the rocker boy-next-door.
Joe
Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for
Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a
permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great
fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of
developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing
in a local library. He is an avid
reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and
graphic novels. He can also be found on
blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant
Writing.
Bonnie
Rae: Bonnie spent her early
childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child
with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading
books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice
cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you
could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her
E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely
grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated
her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then
realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything
was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what
she wanted to do. She started
her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since.
Bonnie currently lives in California
with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats.
I am excited for this week (in a weird way). The editing
process is the hardest part of writing for me. It’s when you give your “baby”
to your friends or not so much friends and they really dive into it.
Editing
time!
Can
you describe your editing process for us?
Carrie:
Absolutely! After the first draft is complete, I usually take another
2-5 passes at it. Then it goes out to my critique partners for feedback. I had 7
for Strength, but I plan on less for
the sequel.
After I implement my critique partners’
suggestions, I go back and forth with them until I have a nice, clean copy to
send my beta readers. I had 4 of those, last time. (Lather, rinse, repeat.) Now let’s skip forward, past my book
deal, to the next level of editing.
Working with a publisher is a similar experience,
but it feels different. More pressure, less doubt. Content edits, copy edits,
etc. You know you’re working toward something
now. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and, this time, it’s not a train!
;)
Learn to love that red ink, my friends.
Komal: I give myself a few days off, not two weeks
like everyone recommends. The reason for this is because after I finish my
first draft, I immediately know what rewrites I need to do, and I just want to
get it done. I edit on the Word document first and then I print it all off and
do line edits. Then it gets sent off to my critique partners. I implement their
feedback, do a final round of edits, and have a beta-reader go through it. Rinse
and repeat.
Joe:
I can only really talk about how I edit for others at this point. I
have a feeling I’d take the same approach for my own work.
First, I read the draft through to enjoy the story for the
sake of enjoying the story. I would only mark something that really, really,
really interferes with my reading. Second, I ask myself questions about the
story. For example: How was the story? Did the narration have flow? I jot down
the answers to those and many other questions as informal notes, notes I’ll use
on my next read. The third step I take is to read the story again with my notes
on hand. This time through I am looking for spelling errors, punctuation
mishaps, and the like. The fourth step is to read through once again offering
suggestions to the author. The suggestions are often about clarifications,
character names, continuity fixes, and many more. My final step is in the
editing process is to write a letter to the author. The letter provides an
overview of what I liked/loved about the work, what I did in the editing
process, and how much I hope I have helped move the work forward.
My editing process is time consuming but one I feel worth
spending the time on. Someone has trusted me with his or her work and I’d
better be bringing my A game to the editing process. As a writer, I know how
hard it can be to hand over a manuscript or even a short story or poem you’ve
poured yourself into for some to read, so the fact that an author has trusted
you says a lot about you and you’d best prove that trust was warranted.
Bonnie:
A lot of screaming, crying, self-doubt, and chocolate. Okay, maybe
not that exactly, lol. After I do my first draft I send it out to my lovely
CP's and beta readers. I take about a week or two off and just work on
something else. Give my eyes and brain a break from my current story. Then once
I get the story back from CP's and beta's I go over all of their comments. I
give myself another thirty days to do rewrites/edits/revisions. After that, I
send the MS off to the editor.
Why
do you think it is important to have other people edit your work?
Carrie:
They catch things I can’t. They’re unbiased, objective, and bring their
own strengths to the table.
Besides, they don’t have the whole story playing
out in their heads 24/7. They read what’s on the paper. ;)
Komal: Chances are you could be cuckoo, and think
your story is a masterpiece when it really isn’t. But, in all seriousness, it’s
so important to have other people look at your work. The feedback is a
necessary part of improving your story.
Bonnie:
I found my editor through an online
writing group. She is a professional editor and also a writer, she had all the
right credentials and experience, plus she gets my writing style. That's not to
say she doesn't suggest I make changes, because she does, and I am grateful for
all the hard work she puts into my novels. In a perfect world, I would never
have to use anyone else.
As a self-published author I think
it is incredibly important to have another pair of eyes edit my work.
Especially a credited editor with plenty of experience, because let's face it,
all writer's make mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes. I am totally not ashamed
to admit that. My first novel had its issues and I learned a plethora of stuff
from the experience of not having it properly edited the first time around.
Mistakes were missed and readers were very quick to point them out. Live and
learn right? I actually took the book offline and had the editor I currently
use, fix those mistakes and work with me to create a better reading experience for
readers. There might still be a mistake here and there (heck even majorly
published books have them), but it is nothing like the first version I put on
line. Being self-published I refuse to cheat my readers into reading a horribly
written and horribly edited novel. I am trying to create a respected and well
done product for the reading public. Not having it professionally edited would
just create a poorly done piece with a bad name. I take my writing very
seriously. My novels are my babies. If I didn't get them edited and have them
put through the ringer before publishing, then I couldn't call myself a real
author. I am not saying everyone
loves my books. People might not like the story, and that is perfectly okay, but
I don't want them to hate the writing in general because it is riddled with
mistakes.
Any
tips, tricks, or strategies to help other writers when proofing their own work?
Carrie: Read it out loud. Seriously. Not only do I spot
errors more often, but it helps me hear the cadence of my phrases. It’s a
really helpful step.
Oh, and print that bad boy out (or send it to your
e-reader). You’ll be surprised how
different the manuscript looks/reads away from your word processor.
Joe:
The first piece of advice: Find someone you can trust to edit. Trust
that he or she will protect your work from prying eyes. Trust that he or she
will be dedicated to the task. Trust that he or she will give feedback to you
straight without hemming and hawing. You want someone honest, someone who will
tell you the truth and not just tell you what you want to here. Constructive
Criticism.
The second piece of advice: When you go to edit your work,
give yourself sometime away from the manuscript. If you finish on a Monday, set
aside the manuscript until the following Monday so you can come at your work
with fresh eyes and fresh thoughts.
The third piece of advice: Remember that you most likely are
your own worst critic. Try to cut yourself some slack.
What
do you do if someone gives you a critique you don’t like? How do you handle it?
Carrie: I weigh it against the other critiques I
receive. If it’s repeat feedback, I have no choice but to accept it. If it’s
not, well, this is a subjective business. Not everyone will like what I write.
It doesn’t mean I have to change everything on a singular whim, you know? It’s
a judgment call.
Komal: I’ve been given mixed critiques before,
which confused the heck out of me. I considered the three different viewpoints,
read through my story and incorporated the ones that I agreed with. At the end
of the day, it’s my story and only I can make the final decisions for it. You
just have to go with your gut feeling.
How
do you talk yourself into deleting a full scene or chapter, or something people
thing weighs down your manuscript?
Carrie:
I have a special folder for my deleted scenes and chapters. That way, I
can go back and scrap them for parts later. Recycling, FTW!
Komal:
I just do it. If it’s not resonating with someone else, or with me, it’s
got to go!
Any
advice for writers about the editing process?
Carrie:
Edit your manuscript as many times as your patience allows… and then do
it one more time. You know, just in case. ;) You only get one chance to make a
first impression!
I also want to say "Congrats" to Komal who had her debut week with her contemporary novel IMPOSSIBLE. You can head over to A Dash of YA for a chance to win a copy!
