Most novice writers, dive into writing their books, believing that when “The End” is written across the last line, their work is finished. Little do they know, however, that the art of crafting a novel has only just begun...
Once the story leaves the writer’s imagination and comes to life on page, the intensely creative and exhaustive work of editing takes center stage.
I wrote my debut novel, Eve of Awakening, in about a four months, but it would take years of editing and rewriting to make my story print worthy. Even after my eyes had traveled along hundreds of pages and thousands of lines from start to finish over and over again, other eyes were still necessary to find things that I had missed. And the more eyes, the better.
Editing causes an overweight and out of shape manuscript to become toned, developed and attractive. Editing chisels away the unnecessary glut, beautifies the mundane, thickens the emotional stimuli and brings the “wow-factor” into the ordinary. At a release party, editing can transform a book from an ignored wallflower to a debutante that everyone wants to meet.
I personally look at the first draft of the manuscript to Eve of Awakening and thank God that it never made it into the hands of prospective publishers. Through the years, I cut the word count in half, rewrote the last two chapters and revolutionized the dialogue. Though the heart of my story remains; the readability, appeal and impact of my novel is better able to leave a lasting impression on my readers—all by the power of editing!
So don’t see editing as a chore. See it as an opportunity to awaken your story’s best self! Take time and care while you edit, allow others to offer constructive criticism and unleash the awe-inspiring masterpiece hidden just beneath the layers of drafts. A novel that changes lives is ready to be born; you simply need to nurture its development for a season until the story is empowered to soar.
Alisa loves her family, faith and God. She fought in an MMA cage and lived to tell about it. She’s writing the sequel to her debut novel, Eve of Awakening.
Website: http://faithimagined.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisahopewagner
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7457199.Alisa_Hope_Wagner
I wrote my debut novel, Eve of Awakening, in about a four months, but it would take years of editing and rewriting to make my story print worthy. Even after my eyes had traveled along hundreds of pages and thousands of lines from start to finish over and over again, other eyes were still necessary to find things that I had missed. And the more eyes, the better.
Editing causes an overweight and out of shape manuscript to become toned, developed and attractive. Editing chisels away the unnecessary glut, beautifies the mundane, thickens the emotional stimuli and brings the “wow-factor” into the ordinary. At a release party, editing can transform a book from an ignored wallflower to a debutante that everyone wants to meet.
I personally look at the first draft of the manuscript to Eve of Awakening and thank God that it never made it into the hands of prospective publishers. Through the years, I cut the word count in half, rewrote the last two chapters and revolutionized the dialogue. Though the heart of my story remains; the readability, appeal and impact of my novel is better able to leave a lasting impression on my readers—all by the power of editing!
So don’t see editing as a chore. See it as an opportunity to awaken your story’s best self! Take time and care while you edit, allow others to offer constructive criticism and unleash the awe-inspiring masterpiece hidden just beneath the layers of drafts. A novel that changes lives is ready to be born; you simply need to nurture its development for a season until the story is empowered to soar.
Alisa loves her family, faith and God. She fought in an MMA cage and lived to tell about it. She’s writing the sequel to her debut novel, Eve of Awakening.
Website: http://faithimagined.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisahopewagner
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7457199.Alisa_Hope_Wagner
