Back to our regularly scheduled programming…from December 2014

A long time ago I began talking about the main components for a proper submission to a publisher. We covered the dummy on Jan. 13, and then the cover letter on Feb. 17. But I haven’t addressed the actual meat of a submission: the manuscript! So let’s compare the same passage from 3 drafts spanning the last 9 years....

The 2005 version is so interesting to me now, as I tried a very mystical tone: the tree “felt” Centipede Dragon’s melancholy. Back then, I wanted to keep tone aligned to image origin, by incorporating an Asian-inspired, Zen-like way of thinking about the world, where all living things are interconnected. But tone hugely influences how you write your story. It also influences illustration style. So for me, an American-English style suited my story best, because it’s how I’ve been taught to write. And as an inexperienced writer, I needed to write the way I speak; else, I struggle too much.

The 2012 version shows major changes after bringing on a friend to help with editing, and WITH a better understanding of the demands of the children's market after much research. The adult was replaced by a child who then performs the action in the plot. The tone is also now devoid of the attempted “Asian” spirit.

Finally, the 2014 published version. The text is even more succinct, thanks to the help of a second editor friend. But key to this version is FINALLY not “telling” each little thing happening in the story, and allowing the images to fill in those gaps. I mean, did I really need to tell you that Ben gasped after looking up?

The take-home message for your manuscript writing process is to acknowledge that while it will likely ALWAYS be in progress, “in-progress” doesn’t always equate to “unfinished.” Bring in fresh eyes and different perspectives at any stage of the writing, and continue to scrutinize your word choice to the bitter end. What this reflects is the depth to which you care about how your story will be received. And that will never be the wrong choice to make.