EDITING -The ups and downs

I made a start.

Yes I did. Really I did.

After my initial ohhh heavens! Can I really do this? Am I ever going to make it into reading perfection?

Coz that’s what editing, rewriting and editing over and over again is all about. Making sure your written word is a joy to read and your readers will come back time and again to buy your books.

Yes I grumble as I’m sure so many other writers do when they first get their manuscript back from Beta Readers and Editors. We suck in air and feel like we are about to expire when we see all the red marks or notes in the margin.

I did and cried inwardly, but throwing in the towel was not an option. I knew in my heart of hearts I wanted… I needed to publish this book and if it meant biting the bullet and knuckling down to work through each sentence rewriting and editing to complete a book, I would be proud to put my name to, then that is what I needed to do. I chased away all the grey clouds and shone a torch down my dark tunnel.

But we cannot take all the credit for our masterpiece. It is thanks to our Beta Readers who read and re-read our manuscripts to pick out all the problems. Our Editors who fine tune all our typos and grammatical errors. Our Proof Readers who give that final polish before we even dare to consider publishing. Without these amazing patient people we would not be able to publish a book worth reading.

And I consider myself privileged to have an amazing Beta Reader who has the patience of a Saint. Without his support and guidance I doubt I would ever have published my first novel and very grateful to have his support again, as I work through my next novel.

THE COLOUR OF LOVE a fantasy romance set in the land of dreams… coming soon.