What, you say, it isn't done yet???? Not quite. We're getting there, though.
The editor has sent me the changes she'd like and I've made them. Lots of rewriting on this one. The end result looks to be very promising. This one's been harder than most for a number of reasons. I've been pondering on those reasons so as not have face them in the future.
One of the reasons is that I rewrote this book five times. Now Bill Fawcett, author/editor, made the comment at A-Kon that if you do more than three rewrites on a book it grows stale. I disagreed. I am beginning to see where Bill lives on this subject.
Not to say that VE is stale. Actually, the characters just started doing odd things that didn't fit their personalities. It was like they were tired of being futzed with and decided to get even with the author. That's where Ms. Editor comes into the picture. She raps my knuckles with a computer-generated ruler and reminds that so-and-so would NOT do such a thing. And if they would, I've better explain WHY and make it a very plausible explanation.
The characters are now back on track and a lot less erratic. At this point my housebound editor (the hubby) is going through the book page by page, making notes if something doesn't work for him. He's an engineer so things have to track or he gets cranky. This sort of review does put a strain on our relationship at times ("Whadda mean that scene doesn't work for you, bub?") but in the end it makes for a much tighter book.
The end nears. I'm really looking forward to it.
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