The Wheat or the Chaff?
One of the hardest parts of writing, in my mind, is the frustration of editing, editing, editing and in case I didn’t say it clearly enough…editing. It’s not enough that you have taken 8 eons to write your FIRST novel or that it’s been 50 eons since your last English class or that you know there are people out there already in line to buy your book, but what do you mean, “this sentence doesn’t make sense.” I know what the hell it means, people aren’t stupid…they can figure it out.
Wrong again bucko.One of the most profound pieces of constructive criticism, after I’d first finished The Prophecy, came from my cousin Kelly. He wanted to read the manuscript and I thought it would be good because he would tell me how great it was and I would be ready to take the world by storm...just because Kelly said so.
A week went by and I finally got a call. “Well?” I said, trying to control my elation. “It’s a good story, I wanted to keep turning the page…but... it’s a bit amateurish.” My mind was screaming “Of course it’s amateurish you knucklehead, it’s my first book.” But in a calm, barely controlled hysterical voice I said, “But you liked the story?” “Yeah, it was good.” Our conversation went downhill from there in direct proportion to my once inflated ego.
After a couple of days of pouting,I decided,okay the story is good but how do I make it “not amateurish?” I decided to check out sources on line and found the 2nd Draft Critique program through Writers Digest.I sent the first 50 pages (the min.) to an author/editor I chose from their list of bio’s just to see what she would say.It was the beginning of what would be an intense lesson in authorship and a most rewarding,albeit sometimes frustrating experience for both of us. It is a costly process to have the entire 687 page manuscript professionally edited,in my present world of finance but I had to view it as an investment in my future.It truly helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. More to follow…
Make the investment, the wheat is better than the chaff.
Wrong again bucko.One of the most profound pieces of constructive criticism, after I’d first finished The Prophecy, came from my cousin Kelly. He wanted to read the manuscript and I thought it would be good because he would tell me how great it was and I would be ready to take the world by storm...just because Kelly said so.
A week went by and I finally got a call. “Well?” I said, trying to control my elation. “It’s a good story, I wanted to keep turning the page…but... it’s a bit amateurish.” My mind was screaming “Of course it’s amateurish you knucklehead, it’s my first book.” But in a calm, barely controlled hysterical voice I said, “But you liked the story?” “Yeah, it was good.” Our conversation went downhill from there in direct proportion to my once inflated ego.
After a couple of days of pouting,I decided,okay the story is good but how do I make it “not amateurish?” I decided to check out sources on line and found the 2nd Draft Critique program through Writers Digest.I sent the first 50 pages (the min.) to an author/editor I chose from their list of bio’s just to see what she would say.It was the beginning of what would be an intense lesson in authorship and a most rewarding,albeit sometimes frustrating experience for both of us. It is a costly process to have the entire 687 page manuscript professionally edited,in my present world of finance but I had to view it as an investment in my future.It truly helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. More to follow…
Make the investment, the wheat is better than the chaff.
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