Perseverance

Perseverance pays off. Isn't that what advisers tell us? Friends, fellow writers, editors, critique partners all tell us to hang in there. Keep writing. Don't give up.

Well, I don't know about sales. That's different than publishing. And publishing is certainly different than finishing a book. But without finishing...there is no possibility of publishing and there can't be any sales.

About three years ago, I had this idea for a book. A couple would be in a plane crash...and survive. Those of you who read my blog regularly know I have a certain fascination with survival scenarios. So I researched and wrote and researched and wrote...

My critique partners gently--then more firmly--tried to tell me the story just wasn't working. Nope. Not working at all. There were some good chunks scattered throughout the story, but that's what they were. Chunks. And chunks do not a story make.

I knew that.

I just didn't have a clue what to do with it. Finally, I paid for a professional opinion. I sent it off and waited for the report. The woman who read and critiqued it worked especially hard on it because she was a friend. But she didn't cut me any slack. Nope, she didn't, though she did use humor and tact.

When she pointed out the errors--so many errors--of my ways, it was impossible for me to miss them. I'll admit this. It made me mad. And discouraged. And I dumped the story in the dead file and went on with life.

Last year, I was looking through my dead file for something to work on. And pulled out the plane crash story. I read through it again, noting every point my professional reader had listed. And...she was so right. Yeah, she was.

But this was a story I really, really wanted to write. It was still simmering on the back burner. So I closed the file and opened a new document and started from scratch.

That book--my plane crash book--is Shadows on Stone. It's a story I'm very proud of with a hero and heroine I fell in love with along the way. And it's the first book in a new series--Tuatha Treasures.

Sometimes when the story really isn't working, it just needs time. Time to gel. Time to simmer. Time to develop into the story it was meant to be.

If you'd like to check out the final result--just click on the book cover for Shadows on Stone. It was worth the wait. And yeah...perseverance pays off.

anny

Final Edits

For those unfamiliar with the world of publishing...the final edits are the last chance for the author to make changes in his/her manuscript. The publisher sends the corrected/ edited ms back to the author and says, "One more chance..."

Some authors skim through and send it back, but I read it word-for-word. And still find errors, typos, and the occasional what-the-heck-was-I-thinking, head-scratching phrase. It's a slow process.

You might wonder why go through it all, then? Well, writing the book isn't enough. Editing and revisions aren't enough. If this is going to be what's left after I'm gone, I want it to be the best I can do--at this point in time. I might grow to be a better writer in the future. I sure hope so. But for now, this is the very best I can do.

And besides...I'm something of a perfectionist. I admit it. When I find errors in my earlier books I cringe. With every book, I strive to avoid that experience in the future.

So. Final edits. I'll be busy. ☺

anny