On to Line Editing!

August 24

I am proud of myself. I set a deadline to finish the developmental edit stage by the time Scott and I left for our seventeen-day vacation on July 29. On July 28, I actually finished rewriting and reorganizing the entire manuscript. Yay, me!

Before leaving, I sent the entire 124,000 word document to several members of my Writers’ Sprint group so they could read the novel in its entirety and give me feedback. I was surprised by the number of people who were willing to read this very long story. If you are an aspiring writer, I highly suggest joining a writing community, especially one that focuses on the same genre you are writing for. There is NO WAY I would be where I am today without the support of my writing friends.

So, to recap my process: I received the notes from my writing coach, Lynn Palermo, at the end of January. It took me until July 28 to address all the issues she identified in the developmental edit stage. I have to admit – it was worth every penny and every minute I spent reorganizing. All the additional work to fill in the holes and expand on the theme has resulted in a much better piece of writing.

I returned from vacation with a sinus infection, not to mention feeling a bit drained by our ambitious trip. It took me some time to get my brain “writing ready.” The month-long vacation from the manuscript was interesting. There are portions I don’t even remember writing!!

So, with “fresh eyes” I am now using the suggestions from my writing colleagues along with everything I have learned about the line editing stage to make sure I am using the best words possible, avoiding repetition, and attending to the various other aspects such as maintaining a consistent point-of-view.

Months ago, I listened to Molly McCowan’s Masterclass on Effective Editing. I took twenty-seven pages of notes and created a “task list” of things to review when editing. I returned to that list today and immediately felt deflated. If I follow all her steps, I will make at least thirty passes through the entire manuscript. I’d like to get this project completed before the century ends! Also, honestly, I don’t think I have the fortitude to go through the document that many times.

So, decision made: I will use Prowriting Aid (a writing software program) and my writing group’s suggestions for this run-through. I think between the two, most issues will be caught and corrected. And—if not—as my sister Kathy is fond of saying, “Oh, well!”

I looked into how much professional line editing would cost. At about five cents per word, I’d be looking at $6,000. Nope. I also looked at how long the line edit process might take. Easily seven weeks or more. Ok. So I have a new deadline: complete this round by the time I leave for my writing retreat on October 26. Since there will still be copy editing followed by formatting and proofreading, I’m accepting that the novel will not be anyone’s Christmas gift this year.

Maybe I’ll win the lottery (if I ever buy a ticket!) and hire someone for the copyediting stage. It’s about half the cost of line editing. On the other hand, there’s a good chance that much of what needs addressing in the copyediting stage might have already been picked up earlier. We’ll see.

In other news, my love affair with ChatGPT has cooled somewhat. Rather than running everything I write through the artificial intelligence software, using the prompt to “Improve,” I am now just using AI when I need a jumpstart or assistance in describing a certain emotion, (I suspended my subscription to One Stop for Writers which does a great job in that department to save money!) Like most great romances, the flame burns out quickly! ChatGPT is a helpful “buddy” but is best used judiciously, especially if you want your own writing voice to come through.

UPDATE September 2

I’m moving faster than expected! Yesterday, I completed the line edit through Chapter 14. One thing I’m struggling with is trying to focus on only a few things at a time. It’s so tempting to try and address everything on one pass. Here’s what I’m looking at: overuse of certain words/phrases, strengthening “weak” verbs, point-of- view inconsistencies, and eliminating “glue words” (and, that, was, etc.) where appropriate.

Also, playing in the back of my mind, is my decision to self-publish on Amazon. Pretty sure I’m going that route. But… what if I do submit the manuscript to a publisher? If they say no, I’m right where I am now. If they say yes…???? Stay tuned to find out what I decide.