Edits…
So…I thought I was a decent writer until I dived into my 2nd round of edits. Sweet MARY, I’m getting way too picky and the red-lines of Track Changes are following me into my dreams. Doesn’t help that I’m sleeping at the wrong time of day.
O_O <—what my eyes feel like.
>_< <—what they look like.
I’ve got the word doc up at 130% on what’s already 12pt type and man…it might go up to 140 by the end of the day. *sigh* Okay…enough bitching. This is the holy grail…what all of us writers live for and WANT with everything inside them.
I just wish edits weren’t so hard.
Maybe with a few books under my belt I’ll feel differently.
The Care and Support of Writers
What would we do without the people that support us in mind, body and technology? I don’t know and man, do I not want to find out. Voila…additions to the website thanks to a great friend that’s willing to give his time and expertise to me whenever I need it. (Even if he’s tired and has to do his own research to figure it out.)
He’s not the only one that’s helped me over the course of this crazy time as a writer transitioning into author. The crap and heartache I’ve had to endure through the last handful of years has been more than balanced by the family and friends I’ve had for years, as well as the new people that have been added to my personal roster.
Sometimes you need to remember to say thanks.
So…
THANKS!
The Danger of Reviews
“The artist doesn’t have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don’t have the time to read reviews. ”
~William Faulkner
I’ve been a reader longer than I’ve been a writer…just barely. But nonetheless that’s a truth that I sometimes forget. And when you enter into the actual business of being an author all of a sudden the comments you’d normally let fly off your tongue–or fingers as it were–can hurt an author you’ve become friends with or could become friends with in the future.
Places like Goodreads have taken on a new role in my life. For awhile it’s been a place that readers and authors alike have been adapting as homebase to keep track of books we want to read, have read, or are currently reading. I admit I go on there a lot and follow a heck of a lot of reviewers and fellow authors. It’s fun to see what people are reading…even informative to read a review. I know it can help influence me when I buy a book, whether it’s to try a new author or steer away from a story that wouldn’t be my cup of tea.
But what happens if you’re the author on the receiving end of a not so glowing review? When you’re an author and a reviewer there’s a murky area in there. I want want to give an honest review, but I don’t want to hurt an author’s feelings either. *sigh* Did I mention murky area?
My idea of a great book is 4stars because I’m REALLY stingy on my 5star ratings, but another author might not feel the same way. And while we tell ourselves that we need a thick skin in this business we have to worry about review sites and the general public as it is, do we really have to nitpick at a fellow author as well?
Now that I’m part of two different networks of authors I have to think about what I say from a professional standpoint, not just me spouting out my opinions. To be fair to my friends and fellow authors, and as a compromise, I think I’m going to have to move myself to a no-rating system and just post what I like about a story and leave it at that.
Edits…Edits…and DOUBLE Edits.
O_o <— ME
So…I was just diving into my edits for Entangled with a lovely 3 week leeway and what lands in my box? Yep, edits round 2 for Ellora’s. Yeah, slightly agog still. Not that the 2nd pass edits are tough on Uncross Your Heart, but still…sigh.
But, the good thing is I’m diving right into the deep end of the pool and getting used to working hard. I want this author thing to pan out. I want it so bad that I can taste it on the back of my tongue. And it’s only causing a deeper hunger. It’s just that sometimes my brain feels too full of ideas that I can’t seem to settled on just one.
Those are the days that I end up web designing. LOL It always helps to even me out. So, now I have a decent main page with my pretty cover and link to Ellora’s on it. And I’m closer to that release date.