Work in Progress Wednesday

I’m happy to report that I have made some decent progress on editing book four. Slow progress is still progress. Since last Wednesday, I’ve edited an additional ten chapters of Beauty from Ashes (and even written two more chapters into the book because of comments from my critique group). Today I thought I’d give you a peak into my editing process but before I do that, I promised an early look at the cover of book four (which is my favorite cover thus far). This photo is of the entire cover (back, spine, and front).

So, editing. I try to do this several times when writing a book (especially after learning how much a paid copy editor misses AFTER my first book was printed). I prefer to write the first draft of my book longhand. When I type it into a document, I do a little editing. As I mentioned before, this book is the first to have gone through a critique group. We could send two submissions a week, up to 2500 words. At first I was only submitting a chapter at a time, but when I realized how long it would take, I would do a chapter and a half to try to max out my word count. Before I sent each chapter in, I would read through it one more time and make changes (and my critique partners still catch things I’ve missed). Another lesson I’ve learned because I’m going through all of my critiques at once now that I’ve submitted the entire book is not to wait. With comments from anywhere from two to five people each week, there is a lot to go through. Once I’ve gone through the comments and corrections, I read through the chapter and make more corrections. When I’m finished with this next edit of the book, I will order proof copies, pass them out to a couple of beta readers, and set it aside for a month. During that time, I’ll be sending book five (the first book in my second series) through a critique group.

So, anyway, here’s a glimpse of Beauty from Ashes when it was submitted to the critique group:

“You should hold those meetings here,” Libby said.
Emily laughed. “I don’t think we’ll have enough privacy in the front room, Lib.”
Jack was mesmerized by Libby’s shining eyes. Was it just him, or did the gold in her eyes stand out a little more when she was excited?
“Not the front room,” she said and grinned at him. “Do you have anything else to go over?” Because it was difficult to form words, he shook his head. She didn’t break eye contact with him but addressed the group. “I finished the large conference room ahead of schedule. It’s ready for use.”
“Already?” He found his voice.
“Ty finished all of the framing early. I was waiting on the pictures. I’ll complete the other room by Friday and start on Kevin’s office next week.”

And here’s the same section after comments, suggestions, and edits from all parties:

“You should hold those consultations here,” Libby said.
Emily laughed. “I don’t think we’ll have enough privacy in the front room, Lib.”
Jack was mesmerized by Libby’s shining eyes. Was it his imagination, or did the gold in her eyes stand out a little more when she was excited?
“Not the lobby.” Her smile was radiant, and she looked at him. “Do you have anything else to go over?”
Because it was difficult to form words with her gaze on him, he shook his head.
She didn’t break eye contact with him but addressed the entire group. “I finished the large conference room ahead of schedule. It’s ready for use.”
He found his voice. “Already?”
Libby nodded. “I was only waiting on the artwork, and the framing was finished sooner than expected. The small conference room should be done by Friday, so I can start on Kevin’s office next week.”

Not a huge difference in the two, but tighter writing and better clarification of what’s going on.

And with this, I leave you to return to (you guessed it) edits.