An edit letter.
Opening them can be nerve-wrecking.
Has my editor decided she should never have wanted to work with me? Has she discovered I can't write after all? Does the plot stink? Are the characters weak? Is there anything we can salvage in this story?
It's so easy to let my internal worrier take off and leave me with knots in my stomach. I've learned though to take a deep breath and try to adopt my friend Colleen Coble's approach.
Edits are great. They are a chance to make my story stronger. To put the characters and plot in the strongest position possible before I turn them over to you, my readers. It's a time to pull out deeper themes and threads. To dig deep for the gold that's lying hidden in the pages and words.
And isn't Delayed Justice's cover amazing? I think it's the best I've had yet with the Hidden Justice series. They've all been good, but this one pops!
Do you have questions about the writing life? If so, let me know! I'd love to answer your questions in future posts!
Cara, I'm not published yet, but from this side of the desk I look at edit letters the same way I look at other critiques and suggestions: a chance to get better. In my case, it's contest feedback, advice from my crit partner, winning a critique on a writing Web site, or a revise-and-resubmit letter: It's what you make of it. Ideally, it's a chance to grow, but it depends on our attitudes. I always feel so much better when I've applied a piece of constructive criticism and seen another facet of my story shine. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteKathy Bailey