Well that was nice and quick. The proofreader did a great job going through line-by-line and providing excellent consistency changes, grammatical catches and other structural recommendations. I really enjoyed working with her and hope to have the opportunity to do so again on my future writing. Now that we’ve finished the proofreading process, we’re starting the layout of the interior of the book. I’m going to be printing some advanced reader copies (ARCs) for booksellers, reviews and other similar purposes. Not to mention providing to my beta readers, who are now flat out refusing to read another round of my story without having a physical book in hand. Should be a fun process.
Proofreading Completed
Line Edit Completed
I finally completed the line edit, and it was certainly an interesting challenge. Not so much because of the story, but more because of some very specific differences in style between how I chose to write the book and the view of this particular editor. It was definitely different to the other editors who’ve read and provided similar proofing in the past. Anyway, glad to have it completed. Like all reviews and edits, I gained value from the process and incorporated changes I felt improved, rather than diminished, the story. Hopefully you agree. Next step is proofreading that will check similar structural items and general grammatical consistency. Looking forward to the results and to seeing what the new editor says.
Line Editing
I received my manuscript back from the line editor and have been working through the suggested changes. Unfortunately, it took longer than I expected and due to some structural problems with the line edit itself, I had to restart my editing a couple of times. But things are going better now and I hope to have it completed within the next month or so. Once done, we’ll move on to proofing, then layout and finally printing. One step at a time, but at least we’re making progress.
Story Editing Completed
I’m thrilled to have just completed the final round of comprehensive story editing. I continue to be impressed by how the novel improves with each new round. But I think I’m finally done, and I love the results. I hope you do too. Next up is line editing to help ferret out those pesky little redundant words and unnecessary phrases. Looking forward to getting the results back in November. Once done, we’ll do some final proofreading before going to press. Stay tuned for future updates, which should become more frequent as I approach production. It’s getting closer!
Second Story Edit
I just received the second comprehensive story edit from my professional editor. She unfortunately started late, so it took longer than I was expecting. However, I’m looking forward to reading through and seeing what she has to say. It’s always a challenge deciding what to keep and what to cut. As mentioned before, she’s inclined to want to focus exclusively on the main story, and cut most everything else. As my novel doesn’t have only one plot line, it’s often difficult to remove sections that I feel are important to the overall experience, especially scenes that set the stage for future books. Regardless though, it’s a good exercise for me to go through, as it really forces me to decide what’s critical to keep, and what can go. So, onward with the editing. I’m sure the story will be better for it.
Story Editing
I’m really excited to have just completed the first round of comprehensive editing with my professional editor. I definitely think the story is stronger for it, even though I’d had the manuscript edited before. She’s an excellent editor and has given me a lot of great input, suggestions for changes, and things to consider. However, she is quite focused on ensuring that everything directly moves the plot forward. While I agree with this conceptually, I personally enjoy books that also provide additional world building or character development, even if not always directly related to pushing the plot ahead. What do you prefer? Are you the kind of reader that likes a lean story, one that constantly focuses on the main plot, or do you enjoy books that provide more background, world building and details on perhaps secondary characters, etc. While I realize this is not an entirely one-side-or-the-other type option, but a good balance of both, I’d like to hear from you. So post a comment below.
