Hello again!
I'm still buried pretty deeply in editing, so this week I thought I'd share a simple trick I use in my editing. Though I have to admit that it will not be the most original thing I've ever shared.
When I look at a project for the first several edits, I'm looking at it as an author; checking continuity, tone, voice, characters, believability, etc... But as I am now working on my Beta edits, I've been trying to look at it as a reader.
It's so easy to get bogged down in creating to the point that I forget that most people just want to read a good book. Their first thought is not going to be about the little details, such as how much milk each goat will give every day, or how well-placed each individual comma is, they are just going to want to engage with the story. And the closer I get to releasing this book, the more I need to start thinking about it in the same way, to make sure it measures up.
Research, good grammar, individuality, and tone are all incredibly important, but even if I was to master the craft of writing, a dull, or unbelievable plot (beyond suspension of disbelief) would still be book killers. And I would have wasted my time by fussing over minutia.
Now, onto the advice. Write a good story first, then turn it into a structurally sound book, and after that, with the help of your Beta readers, try to look at it as a book, not just your book, and fix those mistakes that pesky author left in there. Have you ever written fanfiction? Use those skills to tweak the last few details, and then, hopefully, you should be ready for the last few cleaning passes, before finally declaring it done.
Have a great day, and keep writing!
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