All About Process
I’m going to take this time to tell you all about my publishing process. I was inspired by more than one article that came out that talked about the writer’s process. I found those articles insightful. Thought I’d give it a whirl.
Okay first off you have to get done writing the darned novel. While writing, I’m receiving feedback from my writers group, of course. Normally I’ll write a general outline and then adjust it as I go. In addition, I go ahead and pop out about 1,000 words a day 4 to 5 days of the week. I do take days off.
After the initial draft is done I go back a day or so later and read it specifically to take notes on the storyline. After I’ve taken many notes of my own and juxtaposed them next to notes from my writers group, I meditate on the vision for the story going forward. The question I’m asking myself is this: Did I achieve me goals and did I realize all the amazing possibilities in the story. I take about a week or so to think about all of this.
I do each draft with a specific focus. The second draft I fix holes in the plotline elements and setting. I might tinker with some grammar along the way but it’s not the focus. The third draft I do a sweep for character. This is when the story really starts to look full. Draft four is when I do the dirty work with the grammar and proofreading. This is the part of writing I like the least. Actually I don’t like setting too much either.
Now comes the hard part. I find my beta readers and see what they think. These people are fresh eyes. Two men and two women, and they are younger and older readers. What they say I basically take with more than a grain of salt. Really hard to listen to these people because I have to take what they say seriously. Many of times with comments you can take it or leave it, but at this point I’ve already done plenty of thinking, so everything they’re saying is stuff I haven’t thought about or I’m being negligent about.
While my beta readers are doing their thing, I send the manuscript to a professional proofreader. During all of this, I’m taking a break and outlining other stories I’m working on and begin blogging about the new novel I have coming out soon. The blog tour gets set up and advertisements get prepared. This takes a lot of time and it’s important to get it sequenced so it all makes sense together. Finally, this time around, my goal is to get my past readers involved and get my previous book off of to-read lists and onto reading lists.
So the beta reader’s suggestions come in and the proofreader’s comments follow. I cry and then get to work. I do a draft to accommodate the new comments, and then do another sweep to take out the mistakes I might have added.
Now we wait.
I do yet another draft and then send the manuscript to my kindle for a second-to-final read. At this point I should be pretty damned proud of what’s going on. Finally, I do another sweep, this time I add chapter titles and stuff like that.
Look for the new novel coming to you soon. In Blackness: Angels of the Flesh, follow up to the In Blackness, available where all books are sold.
U.L. Harper
Okay first off you have to get done writing the darned novel. While writing, I’m receiving feedback from my writers group, of course. Normally I’ll write a general outline and then adjust it as I go. In addition, I go ahead and pop out about 1,000 words a day 4 to 5 days of the week. I do take days off.
After the initial draft is done I go back a day or so later and read it specifically to take notes on the storyline. After I’ve taken many notes of my own and juxtaposed them next to notes from my writers group, I meditate on the vision for the story going forward. The question I’m asking myself is this: Did I achieve me goals and did I realize all the amazing possibilities in the story. I take about a week or so to think about all of this.
I do each draft with a specific focus. The second draft I fix holes in the plotline elements and setting. I might tinker with some grammar along the way but it’s not the focus. The third draft I do a sweep for character. This is when the story really starts to look full. Draft four is when I do the dirty work with the grammar and proofreading. This is the part of writing I like the least. Actually I don’t like setting too much either.
Now comes the hard part. I find my beta readers and see what they think. These people are fresh eyes. Two men and two women, and they are younger and older readers. What they say I basically take with more than a grain of salt. Really hard to listen to these people because I have to take what they say seriously. Many of times with comments you can take it or leave it, but at this point I’ve already done plenty of thinking, so everything they’re saying is stuff I haven’t thought about or I’m being negligent about.
While my beta readers are doing their thing, I send the manuscript to a professional proofreader. During all of this, I’m taking a break and outlining other stories I’m working on and begin blogging about the new novel I have coming out soon. The blog tour gets set up and advertisements get prepared. This takes a lot of time and it’s important to get it sequenced so it all makes sense together. Finally, this time around, my goal is to get my past readers involved and get my previous book off of to-read lists and onto reading lists.
So the beta reader’s suggestions come in and the proofreader’s comments follow. I cry and then get to work. I do a draft to accommodate the new comments, and then do another sweep to take out the mistakes I might have added.
Now we wait.
I do yet another draft and then send the manuscript to my kindle for a second-to-final read. At this point I should be pretty damned proud of what’s going on. Finally, I do another sweep, this time I add chapter titles and stuff like that.
Look for the new novel coming to you soon. In Blackness: Angels of the Flesh, follow up to the In Blackness, available where all books are sold.
U.L. Harper
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