Measure Twice, Cut Once

Turning a manuscript into a book is easy; getting the manuscript ready to become a book is hard.
― A.P. Fuchs

An unedited manuscript is a first draft of story; but is not a finished product. Too many writers study the craft of writing but do not acquire the skills of an editor.
― Michael J. Kannengieser

When you print out your manuscript and read it, marking up with a pen, it sometimes feels like a criminal returning to the scene of a crime.
― Don Roff

I think I might have mentioned that some of the workshops I took part of were more sharing friendly than others. The next workshop I took after the Inner Critic was actually one on dialogue. However, the instructor zipped so quickly through her presentation that I have exactly four paragraphs of notes, incomplete notes at that.

She had us doing a lot of exercises, most of which involved recalling conversations. I don’t know about you, but I tend to avoid people and their conversations so I had a hard time recalling one to use, or one involving two children having a conversation, or one where I overheard an important conversation. And she was a screenwriter, so a lot of her advice didn’t really apply to fiction writing.

So today we’re skipping ahead to Workshop #4, Measure Twice, Cut Once, presented by Tanis MacDonald. This was all about getting your manuscript ready for publication.

How do you know if your manuscript is ready for a publisher?

You’ve finished writing your novel and you think you’re ready for a publisher. Not so fast. First, put it away for six to eight weeks. Then you’ll need to edit it. It very likely isn’t the story you thought it was and this cooling off period will show you that.

Often we’re writing more than one thing at the same time and these are the pages that need to be cut. So write to the end of what you know, put it away for six weeks, and then trim it down, or add to it if that’s the case. You need to develop an appetite for revision and for loving the process. Develop strategies for spending time with your manuscript.

Sometimes what you’re revising, or trimming, are your impulses, things that seemed like a good idea at the time. You need to know what you’re writing about. Sometimes, this isn’t clear until near the end. You make discoveries as you write.

Develop a manuscript community. Have a peer read it – someone you can do a story/chapter exchange with is ideal. It’s an exchange of time. Have a beta reader from your demographic read it. Consider hiring a developmental editor, but you don’t want to do this when you’re still feeling tender about your work. Send it to a beta reader instead. Learn to take criticism graciously.

If you are publishing through traditional channels, you will probably be assigned an editor. So why should you hire a developmental editor? It will help make sure your manuscript is polished, and shows you’re serious. You can even mention it in your submission letter.

There are only four big presses, but there are many small presses and independent publishers. It’s easier to get published with a small press. Look for one that publishes your kind of book. Small presses are more willing to take a chance on unknown writers. You won’t feel like a number with them, you’ll feel like a person.

Independent small presses are less demanding. They’re a small organization, but they have a big reach. They’re gaining momentum and popularity. You don’t need an agent to submit your manuscript. You’ll get pulled into a publishing family.

Vanity presses are not evil people, but they do take advantage of new authors. They do a minimal amount of editing and no promotion. They’re basically fancy printers, not publishers and they’re very limiting. You’ll probably only sell locally to family and friends.

When making a pitch to a traditional press, make sure you check out the other authors they publish. They’re going to want to know whether they can sell a book like yours. You’ll also want to compile a literary CV – publications, readings, work in the community.

In your cover letter, tell them what the book does and does not do, the reality of your book, what it is – a light-hearted romp, mystery, historical, science fiction . . . Be confident. Tell them who you are, what you’ve published before. Include a synopsis, why you wrote it, why you chose them. Read three books they’ve published that you liked. Get to know their backlist. Be honest, especially if this is your first manuscript.

Have patience, the wait time is usually six months or better. Publishing is slow. If you’re accepted, remember you’re all working towards the same goal – getting your book out there. The publisher runs the show. An editor will be assigned to you, as will a cover designer. You probably won’t be getting a say in the cover design unless you’re working with a small press.

The copy-editor will check for consistency and double-check style choices. They’ll also fact check and catch every little error. You may also be assigned sensitivity readers when you’re writing about things not your own – a black community, aboriginal, LGBT. . . You need someone sensitive to that life style to read what you’ve written to make sure you’re not being offensive.

You want to maximize the first six months. New books get the lion’s share of promotion and reviewers are usually very generous with their reviews. The publisher will also probably arrange for other authors to do review blurbs. And then comes the best part, your book will be released into the wild.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

WORDAGE REPORT

THE WEEK IN REVIEW
You would think, with the hubby being gone for five days, I would have got all kinds of writing done. But alas, such was not the case.

The problem with having too much time on your hands is that it’s way too easy to put things off. I could sit in my office and write, but my recliner is so much more comfy, and I’ve got all day to write. I’ll just play a few more rounds of solitaire and write later. Oops! I was just about to get up and do something constructive, but one of the kittens decided to curl up on my lap and I really hate to move them. I’ve got all the time in the world, I can afford to sit here for a few hours.

Discipline folks, it’s all about discipline. Something which apparently I’m sadly lacking.

That being said, I did get all my posts up on time, most of them written early. I just didn’t get a whole lot of extra writing done.

NEW WORDS:
1674+807+366+640=3,487
UP – 686 words from last week

I was really hoping I’d have a bunch of new words to share, but alas, it was not to be. Disappointing, but it is what it is.

One thing I did do was some experimentation with translators. In one of the workshops last fall, it was suggested that we take a short piece we’d written and run it through several translators in succession, using a different language each time.

The one I tried was limited to the amount of text I could use, so I right off the bat I lost text. For the next one, I decided to use a poem, and that worked out really well. So then I dug around until I found those weekly prompt stories I was doing a couple of years ago. They were super short, so I tried a couple of them and found the results really interesting.

Goals For Next Week:
Get some words written besides my blog posts.

EDITING:
6 hours
Fooled you! I got some editing done. :-) It was spread out over a few days, but even a little bit every day adds up.

Goal For Next Week:
Keep working on An Elemental Spirit.

TECH & TRAINING:
Ummm, no. I got nothing here.

Goal For Next Week:
Learn something new. Figure out Dropbox.

POETRY WEDNESDAY:
Last week’s poem was kind of weird, and I wasn’t 100% happy with either of the examples I wrote.

I ran my linking pin sonnet through the translators, and while the poem I ended up with wasn’t true to form, it was still interesting.

Goal For Next Week:
Find another new poetry form to share.

CRAFTING:
I took some cross-stich to the library for my guild’s stitch-in, but it was so long since I’ve worked on it I was kind of lost. I need to un-stitch part of it before I can move forward again. But fortunately, I had some embroidery with me as well, so I worked on it instead. Unfortunately, that’s about the only time I worked on it.

But more good news, I found a work table for my craft room. It’s actually this tall baker’s rack, but not only will it fit in the space I have, it has extra shelf space for my works in progress. The only problem is, it’s probably going to be a couple of months before I can take possession.

Goal For Next Week:
Organize my sewing bag, work on some jewelry I’ve been meaning to make.

WHAT I’M READING:
I finished Devil in the Details, by Shelley Dorey and I’m still pecking away at The Knockoff Eclipse by Melissa Bull. I also started reading The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz.

Goal For Next Week:
Keep up the slow and steady reading pace.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

I have to admit to being disappointed in my lack of writing last week. All that time, and so little to show for it. But I also have to say that I work better with deadlines – maybe I should set some. Easy to do, not so easy to follow through with.

One of the goals I should set for myself is to edit for an hour each day. In the grand scheme of things and hour isn’t all that much time, and even an hour a day adds up.

I really need to start making daily to-do lists again. Maybe write the master list on Sunday night, and then each night a short list for the next day.

There’s a regular meeting of the stitchery guild this week, and that same day I have a dentist appointment. So I’ll lots of time to start becoming productive again.

Wish me luck.