The last month’s work has been plowed into two projects, now three. First, Beyond continues to grow and mature, having hit almost the three hundred page mark. It’s hard for me to believe that this first installment of a “post-Thurian golden age” book is nearly three quarters complete! Sometimes, it feels like the work is going slow, but the truth is that editing The Fallen is still taking a good amount of time.
Now, finally, I am going through what has to be the last edit for The Fallen before it gets into my editor’s hands. I’ve been “listening” to it, but I’ve realized I have to listen while I have the text in front of me, otherwise, it doesn’t work. It’s amazing, but, yes – I still make changes. I also still have passion about the story, even as I go through it for what seems like the “umpteenth” time. It’s got to be like building a kit car from scratch, and at some point, it’s just a bunch of parts. Then, it kind of looks like a car, and then, it looks like a car, but it’s not finished – still rough cut. Then, it’s a beautiful, polished car, and the small adjustments are just what give it that extra luster.
It’s how I see it, and then, I know, even through I’m headed for disappointment, at some level. There will be commas I miss, words I skip, or sentences that are a little rough, even still. However, every thing someone finds and I fix makes it better. That’s the attitude that works. Finding errors and fixing them makes a better story with less noise and distractions for the reader.
That’s a good thing, and a fun part of the ride, believe it or not!
Take Care!
JTL