Wednesday, June 7, 2017

#IWSG


Join Alex J. Cavanaugh and a multitude of writer's in this monthly hop to help support one another!

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

I had my manuscript professionally edited. As an indie writer it is a good idea. The problem was the Editor deleted over 7k words, which is good. It's tighter and more succinct. But a fantasy needs to have more world building. So I spent the past weeks rereading the darn thing and still found paragraphs where I said, "Huh?" 

It really is a great idea to let your story settle for a while. Then go back to reread it, you'd be amazed. 






This meme is soooo true for me!



June 7 Question: Did you ever say “I quit”? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?

Many times!! But seriously, when I first began the querying stage, with rejections galore, I was ready to throw in the towel. I thought I had to go the traditional route. Then I read about indie publishers. I sent out queries and within a week I had 3 offers. That started my writing career.
I don't know if I'll ever quit altogether. But I have thought of taking time off. It's the marketing aspect that I dislike. Now every author has to have a Newsletter!! So here I am starting one. 

I started a Newsletter, 
and hope to have the first letter sent in July.  
I'm having a Giveaway
$10.00 Amazon Gift Card
Just sign up on my blog to be entered.
Sign up form is on right hand top of my blog.

27 comments:

  1. I can definitely relate to that meme too! Leaving your work to 'settle' for a while is a good idea, it helps to give perspective. Happy writing.

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  2. 7k deleted? Yikes! Hopefully rereading has helped you figure things out. I like to go back and reread parts when I'm feeling stuck.

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  3. The editor actually deleted things? Um... My editors always highlight things and tell me to change or chop--I hope that's what you mean by edited. Whew! 7K? Typically my first editor can't edit out that much, because I've already done it.

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  4. 7k of deletion - ow! I hope that revision goes awesome!
    I really get that meme. I definitely start sentences and ... what?
    Hope June is great! (And, I signed up but I was feeling tech-less so we'll see if it worked.)

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  5. Ha! I love that Steve meme. As a pantser, I do that a lot. :) Have a terrific month!

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  6. That's a lot of chopped words.
    Small publishers are great. They give some of us the chance to be heard.

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  7. I love that meme and can definitely relate to it.
    So glad you didn't quit! It's amazing how far you have come and all you have accomplished.

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  8. I've set a cut-off date. If I get no "bites" within a year of sending out queries for my next two novels, I'm going indie. How are you coping with the marketing demands?

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  9. All very good advice:) I often tell myself during the first draft, 'hey, who's going to read this anyway?' Of course, later on people do actually read it...yikes;)

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  10. That line from The Office is hilarious, and, like you said, so true! Thanks for the laugh. :)

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  11. Hi. Good to get that first edit over huh. Not sure I'd feel good about losing 7k, but sounds like the book is in a better place. Good to keep a sense of humor in the process.

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  12. I'm going to echo what Crystal said. I freelance edit and edit for DLP, but I use Track Changes. I mark what I think should be deleted. If it's more than a few words, I explain why I suggest cutting it in a comment. And 7K is a lot, too.

    Good luck with revisions!

    Oh, and the link in the giveaway didn't work for me.

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  13. Deleted your work? That's astonishing. Thankfully, there are many other non-abusive editors available with helpful, valuable suggestions. An editor once suggested I 'shelve' an entire manuscript after 10 out of 18 'secret' readers requested a sequel. I was crushed, but enlightened by the fact that editors are also readers whose tastes we so aim to please ;-) Hang in there!

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  14. That marketing can be a killer. But it's all worth it in the end. Wow, 7k words edited out. That's huge!

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  15. Hi, Cathrina,

    I can only imagine.... That is what kept me from indy publishing. I just don't have the strength. LOL.

    Thanks for the info on Twitter pitches. And you are right, there is no guarantee, but you never know.....If you don't try.

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  16. I should get a professional editor. I need to scale down my current manuscript as well and it's so tedious. I love my words too much.

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  17. I tend to write lean and then have to add in things, mainly descriptions. Heh. I do recommend giving a manuscript time to sit, though. I know I find things so much faster to fix if I've let the work sit.

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