This newsletter is brought to you by the power of my left hand and voice-to-text. On the last evening of a snow-fun filled spring break in Colorado I took a tumble on ice and my right wrist bore the brunt.
And a few days later the edits for The Wish Library book five landed in my inbox, the first three books released in paperback, my oldest turned 10, and book four, The Wish That Got Away, launched into the world.
All this to say, April went by in a flash! Here’s hoping for a safer May! And that I regain use of my wrist by the end of it.
Christine xo
How I Edit
As mentioned, edits for book 5 recently arrived so I thought I’d write an article about how I work on the edits for each of my chapter books.
Disclaimer: I’m writing this article using voice to text so there may be errors in this text thanks to the inaccuracy of voice to text and my British accent confusing it!
My editor usually sends me an email with some high-level notes (also known as an edit letter) and then he attaches the full manuscript with not only line edits but also more notes on things he feels need expanding/changing/moving/adding. I let the comments sit a while before diving in. Sometimes just a few days, but longer if needed. I only had three weeks plus a broken wrist hindering me so I didn’t leave it too long this time.
The first thing I do is to start going through the line edits and accepting most if not all changes. I make my way through the manuscript reading the other notes as I go but not acting on those to start with.
I then start making my way through the comments. Most of the comments tend to be about character development, expanding sections, and about transitions between time and space. This time around I also neglected some scene setting (one of the challenges of moving from picture books, for me, was learning to include descriptions of scene and characters. Something I’m still learning evidently!)
I’ll go for the easy wins to start! So, any quick changes that I can address, I’ll do first. I’ll reply to the comment if an explanation is needed.
Then it’s time to tackle some of the bigger structural changes. If a change I need to make is going to affect other parts of the manuscript, I’ll add a comment for myself to remind me of what I need to edit later.
If I get overwhelmed, I set goals: one chapter a day, for example. And I remember the sage advice of Anne Lamott and take it bird by bird (affiliate link).
“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Eventually I reach the end which is when I reread the whole thing (often aloud to my kids) and make sure I didn’t break anything along the way. Finally, I send it back and await the next round!
Bookstore Fun
I visited bookstores and schools (virtually) to launch The Wish That Got Away in April.
And Finally…
There’s a new picture book coming! I can’t wait to share Dear Mr. G in 2023. I already know Gracey’s art will be incredible.
via Publisher’s Marketplace.
Have a wonderful book-filled May!