Victoria Cornwall's Blog, page 9

THE END is only the beginning.

Have you finished?

I am excited to tell you that my debut novel with Choc Lit is one step closer to publication as I have just completed the editing phase of my novel. The journey to this point has been a long one; however my final destination is now much closer and my hero and heroine are eager to meet you. Let me share with you what we have been through to get to this moment.

 

Yes, those are my feet!

It takes me 7 to 10 months to write a novel. However, typing The End is not the end. Those two little words mark the beginning of the next phase a manuscript has to go through – the editing phase. Did I hear you groan?

Great editing is often taken for granted, whereas poor editing is difficult to ignore. The sudden appearance of a plot hole or grammatical error will jolt the reader out of the fictional world they want to inhabit. When this happens, the book has momentarily “lost” its reader. The book industry invests a lot of time, money and effort in an attempt to prevent this from happening and editing is part of their armoury (or armory if you are a U.S. reader!).

Initially a manuscript is edited and fine tuned by an amateur editor. In this case – yours truly. This process can be an emotional roller-coaster for the writer, whose aim is to produce a manuscript ready for submission. I normally edit as I write as it is only natural to correct spelling, grammar and fill plot holes along the way. My second edit involves reading the complete manuscript on my laptop. For my third edit I read a printed version. Editing a printed version is incredibly useful as it highlights many errors that can be missed on the laptop. By the end of my third edit I have lived with my manuscript for almost a year. The characters have never been far from my thoughts and I know it too well to read it objectively. It is about now that I give the manuscript to someone I trust for valuable feedback.

Making notes and checking timelines.

Reading a printed version

Stephen King gives his manuscripts to his wife. I give mine to my daughter and, thankfully, she is honest with her opinion. The manuscript is polished for a fourth time and it is at this point, which is several months after I typed The End, it is ready to send out to the book industry. Getting a novel accepted by an agent and/or publisher can take months, even years. It may never happen. Luckily it did for me and I signed with Choc Lit.

Several months after signing on the contractual dotted line the author starts working with the publisher’s professional editor to prepare the manuscript for publication. It is this part of the process I have just completed. It requires concentration, motivation, compromise and the ability to manage your time efficiently to meet any proposed deadlines. The odd bar of chocolate helps a lot too!

Professional editing is made up of several layers. A different aspect of the manuscript is scrutinised (or scrutinized if you are an American reader) at each layer. All editors work differently and the names they use for the different types of editing (i.e. structural edits, line edits, copy edits and proof reading) may vary. Some editors overlap these layers. A good relationship with your editor makes the process far easier. In my opinion, great editing is invisible to the reader. That is to say the reader can immerse themselves in the story without being disturbed by errors.

So now you know how much time and effort goes into preparing a novel for your eyes. The Thief’s Daughter is almost ready for publication and I am chomping at the bit to see it released. Yet, there are still several steps to complete before my 18th century romance is out there in the big wide world. I hope to share them with you. My hero and heroine are as impatient as I am. In my mind they are standing on a Cornish clifftop waiting for you to join them, as the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash on the jutting rocks below. In the meantime, I have a dog who wants his walk. He deserves a long one as he has sat patiently by my side throughout this long process.

 

Happy 7th Birthday, Choc Lit!

Choc Lit will be celebrating their 7th birthday this month. Birthdays are a great excuse to don a pinny, sift some flour and pretend you are making a cake worthy of The Great British Bake Off. The reality will probably be very different, but it is amazing how breaking a few eggs without dropping any eggshell into the bowl can make one feel (for a few seconds at least) like an experienced cook.

As seven is the number of the month, it got me thinking of other famous “sevens”. The seven wonders of the world, the seven colours in a rainbow, the seven days of the week, the seven seas on earth, the seven continents of the world and the seven deadly sins…of a writer.

Yes, I have to confess that I am guilty of all the seven sins of a writer and here they are…

Pride

“a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements”

Guilty! It is not easy to write a book, especially if the sun is shining outside or you have entered a phase of doubting your ability. Completing the first draft, the last edit, or seeing it finally published, is a major achievement that many aspiring writers fail to reach. When I finally get to that stage, I do feel a sense of pride that despite all life’s little tricks to prevent me from writing, I have managed to achieve what I set out to do.

Envy

“a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck”

Guilty! Perhaps I should ring a bell of shame right now as it is a sin I regularly succumb to. As an aspiring writer, I envied those who had an agent or a publishing contract. Of course I was happy for them, but I also envied them because it was what I wanted too. However, once those things are achieved, those pesky goal posts (that you thought were so firmly erected) change position again. You find yourself envying writers who have books shooting up the rankings, becoming best sellers, winning awards and being translated into several languages. Yes, I am very happy for them, but I can’t help feeling envious too!

Wrath

“strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation”

Guilty! This one is easy. I have a precious window of time to write. It is not every day and it can be easily eroded away by the mundane routines (or surprises) of life. So when I eventually sneak off to my laptop, sit down, turn it on and wait with fingers poised above the keyboard, I could spit feathers when my laptop decides to do an update which goes on…and on…and on.

Lust

“strong sexual desire”

Guilty! I like to have an image of my hero when I start a novel, so I spend several hours trawling the internet for handsome, brooding men. This is purely research, you understand, but it is inevitable that sometimes I go off at a tangent and just enjoy the process. It is a tough job, but hey, somebody’s got to do it!

Gluttony

“over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste”

Guilty! When things aren’t going well, or if they are going well and I want to celebrate, I reach for a bar of chocolate. Unfortunately, I am also found reaching for one when life is just plodding along. I don’t think this has much to do with writing, more to do with my lifelong weakness for chocolate!

Sloth

“reluctance to work or make an effort”

Guilty! A writer has to be quite disciplined to write regularly. There are some days when I just don’t feel in the right frame of mind and can be found watching repeats of Judge Judy on the telly.

Greed

“intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food” 

Guilty! I’m sure I am not the only writer who would like J.K.Rowling’s millions. However, until that day happens, it will remain a wistful dream.

So how did my cake turn out? Well, here it is! I decorated it with irresistible dark and milk chocolate, just like Choc Lit’s heroes (I mean the heroes are irresistible, I didn’t mean they were decorated with chocolate, although heroes drizzled in chocolate is not such a bad idea).  Happy Birthday, Choc Lit!  I hope you have a great day!

 

Time to make a cake!

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