This may sound crazy, but I got the best email. It was my edit letter on my next book. Delayed Justice will release later in 2018, and I’ve been on pins and needles since I sent the book in to my publisher and new editor in November. The holidays and life has the edit coming back to me now.
An edit letter.
Opening them can be nerve-wrecking.
Has my editor decided she should never have wanted to work with me? Has she discovered I can’t write after all? Does the plot stink? Are the characters weak? Is there anything we can salvage in this story?
It’s so easy to let my internal worrier take off and leave me with knots in my stomach. I’ve learned though to take a deep breath and try to adopt my friend Colleen Coble’s approach.
Edits are great. They are a chance to make my story stronger. To put the characters and plot in the strongest position possible before I turn them over to you, my readers. It’s a time to pull out deeper themes and threads. To dig deep for the gold that’s lying hidden in the pages and words.
And isn’t Delayed Justice’s cover amazing? I think it’s the best I’ve had yet with the Hidden Justice series. They’ve all been good, but this one pops!
Do you have questions about the writing life? If so, let me know! I’d love to answer your questions in future posts!
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I’d love to hear sometime how you usually put stories together.
Does a title come first? Or a character? Or an idea? Do you plot and then write? Or start writing and work out the plot as you go? Do character names come to you, or do you hunt for them? Which usually comes easier for you, characters or plot? Etc. Always fascinating to hear!
Thanks, Bree! You’ve given me great fodder for future posts. 🙂
Cara, with as many books as you’ve written (and how amazing they each are!), it surprises me that you still worry if your writing is good. You’re an amazing writer! Yet, I know how fleeting confidence can be. Something that I’m learning is that if God calls me to write a particular story, He will grant me the proper words with which to fill up those pages. He will certainly do the same for you, my friend. I like how you’re approaching those edit letters as opportunities to sharpen up your skills and the stories. That’s the way I try to approach the feedback I get from first readers on my manuscripts and screenplays. It’s good to know I’m not alone on this journey, but it’s even better to know that I’m not alone in trying to approach edits and writing with confidence and positivity. We can totally do this, with God’s help. He is so generous to loan us a dose of His confidence when we find ours lacking. Happy editing!
So true, Andrea!