Development edit

Its Sunday might and I am mentally preparing myself for the next three months. I have had my manuscript back from the development editor and have a lot of thinking and working out to do. That is how it should be.  I think this is a very critical part of the process because this person looks at what you have written critically.. isnt there to tell me what is good, what works well. They arent there to tell you how wonderful it is, they are there to critique, to point out weaknesses and flaws. At this stage the focus is mostly about the bigger picture things…have I started in the right place..are my characters memorable, is my lead hero someone the reader is going to root for. Have i created sufficent tension, what is no working so well.  BY the time I have sent this draft to the developer, I feel like I am a hiker, lost, far too deep into the forest of my own imagination, so i need a fresh pair of eyes.

One of the comments she has made was about style.. I thought she was referring to the way I wrote and nearly had a meltdown, but no, its about the way a book is placed on a page. For my last two books, I was using a standard style, I didnt even know it was called a business design, but have found out there is a novel style…indented paragraphs, single parenthesis and Times New Roman 12 font and it is something else I have to set up and learn and to tell the truth, that overwhelms me more than anything.

So, I am resting tonight..Ive cleaned the garage, tied the house, I just have to put the rubbish bags out and do the dishes. Then I have to get stuck in tomorrow, even though my head feels like the inside of a candy floss machine.

I have also sent the manuscripts out to three readers and have had their feedback. I am really pleased with some of the suggestion and ideas..always very interesting. One of the suggestions is that one of my characters needs a tattoo. another suggested a new name….i laughed when I realised I had a character called Monica Kaminsky….yes  too close to Lewinsky….I had to laugh. How did I miss that…..it would divert readers away from a murder to a stained dress of an intern.  My development editor said one of the best lessons she learned was that until a novel is finished ..every single word is up for grabs….I think I will go to bed on that note.