Hello and Happy New Year!
One of my hopes for the new year is to move forward with my writing. My beloved book sits waiting. A word document, small and silent, but to me it is so much more. It is a cast of characters just waiting to speak. My hope and dream is to see them soar. But where to begin? How I wish I had answers.
I chose to begin my path by following advice I received at my first writer's conference. I suppose attending that conference in the first place was the start! I was so encouraged by the authors, speakers, editors, agents, and fellow writers I had the opportunity to meet. I was able to sit in on a session with the founder of Christian Editor Connection (link below) and taste the world of editors.
As the authors, we can do much for our writing. There are many, many blogs, books, and resources available on the subject and I know very little on the subject and so I won't try to compete. After all, this is a document of my learning experiences. I straightforwardly asked a published author if it was necessary to have a professional editor look at my work.
"Yes," she replied. She was firm.
Since the first three chapters is what many publishers and agents see in a book proposal, I decided that this would be an excellent start. After reworking the chapters, characters, and concepts a bit more, I pursued seeking an editor. Christian Editor Connection paired me with an editor and my first edits came back last week.
I was terrified. What if it was all complete rubbish? Maybe this will finally confirm that this whole thing is nonsense. But that was not what I found. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done. A compliment lasts only a moment, but a critique stays much longer and pushes us to grow. I see many issues in my writing, but they highlighted in red so that I may repair them. Once repaired, the work is improved. There is progress. That is hope.
The entire process thus far has been a learning experience. I am learning to find the mistakes and correct them. I am forced to really analyze the thought process of my characters and scrutinize their motives. My rambles are made concise. I know that I will walk away from this process with a better book.
Where will this lead? I won't know quite yet. I will attempt to update this blog once all the final edits are complete. I have made plans to attend the Orange County Christian Writer's Conference again (link below). I hope to have a full book proposal complete by the conference. I continue to pray that my book has a place in this world. Time will only tell.
Be blessed!
www.Christianeditor.com
http://christianeditor.com/
http://occwf.org/
