My TMI Writing Process

I’m on the verge of releasing my next story, so I thought I’d tell you more than you want to know about my writing process, from the time I open an empty Word file to the time I publish the book. Here we go…

First Draft

I write the story! This step requires the most time and energy, because by the time I’ve finished the first draft, I’ve churned over and resolved all the story problems. I’ve heard the common writing advice to “let yourself write crap for the first draft.” I’ve tried that, and it doesn’t work for me. That doesn’t mean my first drafts are pristine and ready for publication. If they were, I wouldn’t have to do any editing. But I do all the heavy lifting during the first draft phase. Some writers celebrate when the book is released. I jump for joy when I’ve finished the first draft, because that’s when I feel the greatest sense of accomplishment. The rest of the process takes time, but it’s easy, relatively speaking.

First Edit

I start by incorporating any notes I wrote to myself while writing the first draft. Usually I have half a page or so, and it only takes one writing session to deal with the changes. Once that’s done, I read through the story to catch obvious errors (continuity, missing words, clunky sentences, etc.). Basically, I tighten up the writing. I’ll also catch stuff that I don’t understand. Yes, when I read over my drafts, I’ll sometimes read a sentence and have no idea what the hell I meant or intended to convey. It’s always something a character is thinking.

When I’m writing a first draft, I have to be in the head of the character I’m writing. For example, if I’m writing a scene from Lesley Thompson’s point of view, I have to be Lesley. During the editing phase, I’m not in the characters’ heads in the way that I am when I’m writing the first draft. So while I fully understood what Lesley meant when I was Lesley, I don’t always get it when I’m not Lesley. I always end up deleting what I don’t understand. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen. When I finish this step, I pass the story to my beta reader and continue to the next step.

Audio Edit

I previously posted about this phase (see Rymellan Storytime), so I won’t say much here except that it’s great for catching flat dialogue and still clunky sentences.

Third Edit

I do another pass, incorporating my beta reader’s feedback and any other changes I want to make before sending the story to my editor.

With Editor

This is the easy part for me. I don’t do anything! 

Post Edit Pass 1

Most editors work the way mine does. I send her a Word file, and she returns a marked up file using Word’s comment/change feature. I read through everything once, without changing a word. If you’re curious about what a file from my editor looks like, I’ve included part of a page from The Dance. I’m not hiding anything; the rest of the page wasn’t marked up. I can spell, I know basic grammar, and I can craft a decent story, so I don’t receive a file that’s riddled with comments and markups.

Post Edit Pass 2

I incorporate my editor’s feedback. That doesn’t mean that I make every suggested change. I’ve never done that, and I doubt I ever will. I probably agree with my editor about 85% of the time. For that group, I’ll make most changes exactly as she suggested, or I’ll agree that there’s a problem, but I fix it a different way. The other 15% I just reject outright.

When I’ve finished this step, I could send the document back to my editor and ask her to look at any significant changes I’ve made (paragraphs I heavily edited, passages I added, that sort of thing). I don’t do that. I can write. I don’t need an editor to check every single word I type. All my published work contains passages that have never been edited by anyone but me. I’m not talking a significant amount of words, here; I’d estimate less than 500 words per work. But there’s always some. The Salbine Sisters takes the prize for having the most published words never seen by my editor.

Production: Smashwords

At this stage, I start the production process. Rather than doing my final read through now, and then having to read the story again after I’ve typeset it, I go ahead and prepare the Word file for typesetting. I do this by formatting the file for Smashwords. Why? Because Smashwords wants a file with minimal styles and formatting, which also happens to be perfect for the typesetting program I use.

Production: Typeset the print version

Now that I have the Word file I’ll upload to Smashwords, I import its contents into a program called InDesign, and I typeset the book. If you’ve never seen a typesetting program, I’ve included a screenshot of a couple of pages from The Salbine Sisters. I proofread the typeset version, which is a PDF file that looks exactly like what the interior of the printed book will look like (I have to upload two PDF files to the printer, one for the interior and one for the cover).

At this stage, if I want to tweak something or I find an error, I have to correct it in two places: the typeset file and the Smashwords file. I keep a running list of the changes I’ve made. When I’ve finished proofreading, I check both files to make sure that all my changes are there and I haven’t inadvertently introduced an error.

Production: Kindle and ePub

Now I use the Smashwords file (again) as the source file for the eBook files. I have to break out each individual chapter into its own file, and then I use a tool to create the mobi (for Kindle ) and ePub (for everywhere else) files.

One Last Look

I load the mobi file onto my actual Kindle, to verify that it’s formatted correctly for the device. I skim the story one last time. If I find an error at this stage, or want to tweak something, it’s painful, because I have to correct it in three places, regenerate the typeset version, and regenerate the eBook files. Still, I usually tweak one or two things, but I try to restrain myself. Honestly, to the writer, a book is never ready to publish. At some point, you just have to say that it’s good enough and push it out; otherwise nobody would ever submit/publish a story. I hate reading my work after it’s published, because there are always—always—things I’d like to change. I can’t think of a writer who hasn’t expressed a similar sentiment. If I decide to go ahead and write another Salbine book, I’ll have to read The Salbine Sisters again, and I’m dreading that. Anyway…

Publish

I upload the files to the printer and the various eBook stores, i.e. I publish the book. I’m done!

Despite reading the story numerous times and having it edited, errors can slip through. Our brains are amazing at filling in the blanks and understanding a sentence by skimming a few words. Sometimes my editor will catch something I missed during all my rounds of editing, and that my beta reader also missed. Sometimes I’ll find an error that was present all the way back in the first draft when I’m proofreading the typeset version . It happens.

I’m on the One Last Look step for The Missing Comatose Woman, so barring any unexpected catastrophes, I’m on track to publish the book next week. Since it’s just about ready, I’ve posted the first chapter, to give you a taste of the story and its tone. Meet Casey Cook, PI.

Enjoy your weekend!

My TMI Writing Process is a post from: Sarah Ettritch