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When is this book going to come out? Only time will tell! |
By Linda Wilson @LinWilsonauthor
How long does it take to write, edit, and polish a children’s book—or any book—for publication? This is a question I’ve been grappling with for several years now as I seek to complete the second book in my Abi Wunder Mystery trilogy, Secret in the Mist.
The book seemed to be finished many times through countless edits by critique groups, hours of self-editing, and reviews by two beta readers. Lately, the manuscript was reviewed by professional editors—www.chriseboch.com and https://two4onekidcritiques.wixsite.com/mysite/rates, both offering very helpful comments.
Upon receipt of each critique, I made the appropriate changes and set the manuscript aside to “rest.” Each time I picked it up again I discovered more edits, some quite extensive. This process has taken years.
My feelings have ranged from pure frustration—the desire to pull my hair out and yell, when will this ever end—to acceptance; as in, every change brings a more entertaining, tightly written, page-turner.
My goal with this article is to outline the pitfalls I’ve encountered in preparing Secret in the Mist for publication. Being aware of these pitfalls will hopefully save you time and effort.
Editing Challenges to Avoid
- Stick to the overall plan of the book: Perhaps the most important challenge for me was to keep track of the “whole picture.” I told myself I was following my outline (I’m not a pantser). But I got caught up in week-to-week changes suggested by my critique group. I would edit the changes and move on to the next section for them to read. I got lost. I didn’t know where my story was going, and I included too many unimportant events that I thought made the story exciting. It wasn’t true. I had strayed from what the story was really about. Now I realize I should have hung my outline on the wall in front of my desk to remind me where I was going. I will do that from now on.
- Stick to the story problem: Make everything that happens in the story about the story problem. I like to use the example of an edit Chris Eboch did of my first Abi Wunder book, Secret in the Stars. I had an entire chapter about kittens, which was an adorable addition and very entertaining, I thought. Chris let me down lightly. She understood how much love I put into that chapter. But she said it didn’t move the story forward. It had to go. The removal of that chapter didn’t make an iota of difference in the book--it had nothing to do with the plot. But I’ve kept the chapter for possible use in advertising or even in another story.
- Know which details to include: I’ve fit in necessary details to show what the characters look like, what they wear, etc.; a rich sense of the setting in a country town, including trails in the woods; and other details as important elements in the story. But in my zeal to include details, I included minutia, details that turned out to be unimportant, and didn’t move the story forward.
- Remember to include the senses: I find “taste” to be the most challenging sense. One way is to describe a meal, which I think readers enjoy.
- Scrutinize for any passages that slow or stop the action: Action parts are not the time to describe anything. Short sentences give the feeling of immediacy. Keep the story moving forward. Delete any passages that bog the story down.
- “Telling” and “Showing”: Study up on how to handle “telling” and “showing.” Both can be effective if you know how to use them. What has surprised me is how many “telling” passages I use when “showing” would be much more engaging.
- Watch overuse of certain words: Here are some of my favorites: just, down, back, look, to name a few. I do a word search and reword sentences to avoid using certain words too often.
- Tie up loose threads: One of the ways I try to carry through with characters, themes, symbols, is to do a search of each word. I give each character an arc. The main character needs to grow, so I follow her path through the story to make sure her growth is achieved. The other characters have story arcs, also, with a beginning, middle, and end. Mention of symbols such as ladybugs for good luck, a treasured locket given to Abi by her grandma, the appearances of the ghost, need to have follow-through and a satisfying ending. Each needs a reason to be in the story, needs to help move the story forward, and also needs to keep from being repetitious.
- Be on the lookout for any descriptions or actions that are vague. Make them specific.
If you're like me, you will take the time necessary to produce a book worthy of your readers, no matter how long it takes to complete.
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Before I knew about shredding, these were the drafts I edited before publishing Secret in the Stars. |