Words About Writing

I got my first feedback from a reader! Basically, after the first 100 pages, she sent me some general notes. It was very useful. I'll have to rename some characters to prevent confusion, and I might have to "kill my darling" as one scene that I love and find a cute interlude in the story put my reader to sleep. Haha! So... the work is going. I haven't officially sat back down to write, but I have done a few word-sprint writing exercises, all of which seem to help illuminate a WIP that I had set aside thinking it's too big for right now. I might keep doing these sprints to help illuminate that story, but I really want to get to plot-work soon, too. I figure September will be editing the manuscript that is currently with readers. We'll see how long that actually takes.

Woohoo! I finished my revision yesterday! I was delayed a few days by a cold. I can't think straight with a head full of phlegm, and wasn't about to try editing in that state, but still, the 10th is not too far off schedule. During those phlegm-filled days I contacted a few additional readers, so by the time I closed the manuscript I had them all lined up. Today I am busy formatting the manuscript to send to four readers in different parts of the world. I'm pretty excited about that. One is an excellent writer and reader with a knack for finding plot-holes and mistakes. One was an English/Creative Writing major in college, with an unpublished novel under her belt. Two are avid readers with diverse tastes who have a firm grasp on the process. It's my first time reaching this step, so here's for posterity: I am sending an electronic copy of the manuscript to each reader in their preferred format. I set up a group in Messenger, and gave a clear list of what I am ...