kristaphillips 
For those of you who see me on twitter or facebook, you may already know, but on Saturday evening, I wrote the proverbial “The End” on my current WIP.
What a GREAT feeling! It was awesome when I finished my first book, but now that I’ve finished my second… I feel validated, like the first one wasn’t just a fluke, a twist of fate, or just a “one time” deal.
I’m a writer!
But now… as we all know, the editing begins. I began this book mid-June, wrote the first 30k words easily in just a few weeks, then struggled for months to get the next 20k down.
In the last two weeks, I belted out the last 30k. So, in reality, it was a very quickly written book. So… I have a LOT to edit. I changed names mid-book and now have to go back and catch them all. I have plot elements I came up with mid-story and now have to go and thread them through the beginning. I am NOT a natural at description like some writers, so in editing I have to go back and make sure I’ve included all the needed details, especially regarding setting. And all that is in addition to my bad grammar due to quick typing, horrid spelling (I turn off spell check while I write because the lines annoy me and slow me down) and passive voice that I used while just trying to get the story elements down.
Needless to say… there’s much editing to do.
But right now, at least for the next two weeks, I’m basking in the DONENESS of my rough draft. WAHOO!!
For inquiring minds, thought I’d also post my short-summary to give you a sneak peek at my “finished” book.
Love Finds You in Sandwich, IL (or another title that I still haven’t come up with)
Sandwich represents hope for nineteen-year-old Maddie Buckner and her brother, until she loses her new job after less than an hour on the clock. It’s all Rueben-the-Jerk’s fault, and she’s determined to make him right the wrong.
He does so, however reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Shop. What Maddie doesn’t count on is losing her heart to her boss. Her ENGAGED boss.
When her boss’s fiancée gets jealous and bad things start happening to sabotage the restaurant, Maddie must get to the bottom of the craziness in time to save her brother, her job, and her heart.
Discussion: Next week we’ll discuss a little bit about transitioning from the “writing” phase to the “editing” phase, so in preparation, I’d love to hear how some of you accomplish this. Do you set it aside for a while before editing? Or do you dive right in? Do you have a “plan”? What’s helped you in the past? Do you give yourself an editing deadline?
Congratulations, Krista! I was off twitter for most of the weekend and so didn't see your big news!! How exciting! It sounds like a wonderful story! And I'll be totally excited to read it someday!
And as for the editing, since I'm such a planner before I start writing, I don't usually have those major changes while I'm doing my personal editing. But now that I'm doing rewrites for my publisher, I'm learning how to make major overhauls and am finding it's not impossible! I'm blogging about my process today.
wHoOT! WhOOt! That's awesome! What an accomplishment. The blurb sounds familiar – then I remembered that's because I've read it before! Sounds like a super fantabulous book, Krista.
I'm in the midst of my rough draft. 37,000 words itno it and it just is making me cringe at times. I'm tossing our cliches left and right, making scenes ramble, using a lot of passive voice. But I keep telling myself to chug along, because if I go back and edit, I'll never get the rough draft done!
Congrats!!!
I would definitely suggest setting it aside for a few weeks before trying to edit. It gives you the distance you need to recognize when some of your writing it's serving the story well, even if it IS beautifully written…
Maybe do you name-changing and spell-check edits so that the flow will be clean when you pick it up for an official re-read, but no story editing until you've given it some time to rest.
Yay, Krista! Congrats. I'm currently rewriting/editing as well! It's difficult, but we both can do it!! Good luck. For now, enjoy the fact that you typed, "The End." That's a huge accomplishment
Your book sounds wonderful, good for you!!!
WOOOHHOOOO, Krista! Congrats! Finishing a first draft is a great feeling–such a high! I'm happy for you!
I definitely set it aside for a while before going back to edit. I really need fresh eyes or else I miss a lot of typos. It takes more time, but I think that for me it's worth it.
Congratulations! Best of luck with the editing!
Congratulations!!! That's super cool.
LOL, I change the names of my characters a zillion times before I find the perfect fit. Hee hee, glad I'm not the only one.
Congratulations! The blurb for your book sounds like so much fun!
Congrats! This sounds really fun. And I love the new picture.
Congratulations and this book sounds fun!
As for the editing, set it aside for a bit. Think about totally different stuff and recharge your batteries. I then print out a hard copy and block out time to read the whole thing in one sitting (if possible). Jot very short notes as you go – "D" where you need description, "A" for add (thread), "?" for awkwardly worded sections, etc. This gives you the big picture of the story and highlights the issues you need to fix first. There's plenty of time later to fix the passive verbs, spelling and punctuation. 😛
You can do it!
I usually have a list of edits/revisions I need to make by the time I finish my first draft. And while I like to be able to set aside time before diving into them, deadlines don't give me that luxury anymore. So, as soon as I finish my draft, I print out a hard copy and take it to the library where I can spread out and work with no distractions (TV, fridge, internet…). As Candee suggested, I try to block out as much time as I can so that I can go through huge chunks all at once. It's a lot easier to spot continuity errors, repetitious words/phrases, and imbalance in narrative/dialogue if I can get through ten or twelve chapters (or more) at a time.
Of course, it helps to have that first draft finished more than two weeks before the manuscript is due—so I'd better get back to it!
Congrats, again, girlie!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats to you!!!!
I personally think it's helpful to step away for a little while before editing. The story feels new…a little more exciting. Does that make any sense?? It's been a good 6 months since I've opened my 3rd novel…now I'm going back and doing an overhaul on it. And I'm excited about it. It's been so long that it is exciting to fall in love with my characters all over again.
ROCK ON, KP!!! 🙂 I'm so happy for you! I am hereby offering my services as a grammar/spelling proofreader when you get to that point! Proofreading is my absolute favorite thing in the world to do! (Yes, I know… that's weird.)
Again, I'm so happy for you! PAR-TAY!
Good job, Krista! Congratulations! So far, I've only written articles that I've edited. Fortunately, my sis-in-law is an author and offered her phenomenal editing skills prior to submitting my articles.
Happy editing!
Congrats Krista! I have to say that I understand the part about needing to feel "validated" as a writer. Nobody wants to feel like it's a "fluke."
Way to go, Krista! Great job!
I'm not working on a book now, but a collection of short stories. The same principle applies though about editing. Some of my edits take months!
Good for you, Krista! Finishing a book is a great accomplishment.
I say give it a bit of time before you get back to it…a week or two. You deserve the rest, and you'll come at it with fresh eyes.
Have a wonderful Monday night!
Awesome news Krista- congratulations! I cannot wait to reach that proverbial "The End."
I pray you editing phase transitions well. Please keep us posted how it works best for you. I'll be on that road one day soon.
Congratulations, Krista! Celebrate! You ARE a writer!
Take the edits one bite at a time.
Yeeehaawww! That is awesome! Is this the one with the vibrations? lol
Good luck with the editing!
Thanks everyone! Y'all are so sweet!!!! Got some great ideas for editing… and will give my own thoughts on the matter next monday.
Yes, Sherrinda, it is the one with the vibrating bum. I'll have to post that scene someday just for the pure fun. LOL
I used to leave a book for a good chunk of time before doing any work on it, and I don't any more. Like you, Krista, I find that I already know a bunch of stuff that needs fixing. I know some plot threads that need weaving in better, for example.
My new method is to go right back to the beginning and do those things before I forget. THEN, if the luxury of time is on my side, set it aside for a few weeks or even a few months.
Maybe revise your other novel? Plan out a new one? Anything to get THIS story right out of your head for awhile. Because if it's still lurking, you'll likely be seeing what you think you wrote instead of what you actually did.
That's my two cents' worth, and Canadian is almost on par these days.
Good for you!! You're awesome! Doesn't it feel great?
I've revised right away, but I find I'm a better reviser if I set the book aside while I write another one. Or, if I have a personal deadline, like getting a book ready for a contest, I'll give it at least two weeks before I begin revising.
Good luck!