Editing, Editing, Editing.

May is here and, as promised, I have resumed editing my first book. And what a mess it is, too. I'm so embarrassed to have sent it to beta readers in its current state.

We all know how easy it is to overlook mistakes when we've been looking at our own work for too long. I think, because we know what it's supposed to say, our brains skip over the obvious errors and they're left unnoticed. It takes fresh eyes to pick them out.

 I did not have even remotely fresh eyes when racing against the clock to get my story finished by the new year. In hindsight, making myself rush was not a good idea. If there's one takeaway from this post, let it be this: Have a "holiday" from your work before you give it the final check. You'll be surprised what you've missed the first few hundred times you looked at it. Also, every time you change something, double and triple-check that too. There's an embarrassing number of instances where I've changed something and put in an extra full stop and other such silliness.

It's not a beta reader's job to pick up on these daft little errors. It's not their job to spot typos or shoddy writing. Their job is to tell you how the story reads as a whole. Their feedback should be about stuff like reader engagement levels, if any characters don't seem believable or if some areas of the plot are lacking something.

I've "beta read" (pretty much rewritten) a piece of work for someone before. It's really easy to get drawn into giving detailed notes on something that's nowhere near ready for the publisher's desk. I couldn't help it. I just couldn't bear to let someone attempt to publish something with so many fundamental flaws. Also, as a matter of pride, I couldn't pretend I didn't notice them because what would that have said about my level of expertise?

The work we hand over to beta readers is supposed to be just one small step away from being submitted for publishing. It's supposed to be polished. I knew that, but I still managed to inadvertently turn over a piece that wasn't. There's no way I can let that happen again.

So, now I'm putting things right with some very helpful feedback from beta readers and my own insights, having taken a break from this project for a while.

So far, I haven't said much on here about this project. I've mentioned it's a fantasy novel, but nothing much beyond that. It's probably about time I shared a little bit about exactly what it is I'm working on here. It's titled "Prophecy" and is the first part of a series called "The Errthenshore Tales." Here's a little blurb, not necessarily the one I'll submit to literary agents. It's just something I drafted up today:

Errthenshore, home of the elves, has been a place of peace and contentment for centuries until Prince Serel and his human army sail across the Silverkrin Sea to take it as their own. A prophecy foretells that Lady Marienel of Netheril is the key to saving the land from its invaders. She must set aside her uncertainties and rise to the challenge to save her home and her people- but will it cost her life?

Peasant woman, Suzea Truvo, suffers a personal tragedy. At a time when she feels most vulnerable, she must choose between committing treason against the prince and betraying her conscience.

My main objective here is to create some strong female characters who are the heroes of their own stories. It's something that's likely to become a feature of all my future projects. The characters are the most important part of my story. The plot is very character-driven and, like most authors, I am pouring a great deal of myself into it.

Strength is one virtue which I've often felt I lack, though some people tell me different. I've created some role models for myself in this book. These ladies have felt weak and unable to face the tasks ahead of them, but allow themselves to grow and acquire a power they never realised they had.

I'm still inspired when I read about such women in books and see them in films. They are there, but we have some way to go before we're portrayed evenly with men as heroes. I hope, in the future, my work will help tip those scales, even just a little bit closer to equilibrium.

But first, let's get this thing polished. Properly, this time.

V.