Line Edit

I just received an email from my editor at Nimbus saying she’s completed the line edit for “Bitter, Sweet.” I had several options open to me. I could have a hard copy sent to my front door via FedEx or have it sent digitally, print it off and send the hard copy back to her or, make the changes digitally using the track change function in Word. I opted to have it emailed to me and I’ll print it off here at home as I’d rather make the changes on the hard copy.

I have no idea what to expect with the line edit. I completed the first round of revisions in late May and to be completely honest when I read the critique my editor sent the first time I was a bit overwhelmed. I could have gone into panic mode quite easily but was able to restrain myself enough to read it over a few more times. It didn’t feel nearly as daunting the third time around and, once I actually got into doing the work I found it quite easy to wiggle back into the story. I was concerned about that since it had been written about three years ago.

Some of my non-writing friends were under the impression that a publisher will take your story and edit it the way they see fit without your input but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Suggestions are made and potential problems pointed out but the writer is very much in charge of what happens and has to figure things out on their own. After all, it’s still your work. I emailed my editor a few times in the beginning to get her input and let her know in what direction I was heading with the story.  She had allowed me three weeks to make the changes and once I got going it went quite quickly. I enjoyed that part of the process and it also enabled me to make a few other changes along the way that hadn’t been suggested.

So the next round it coming. Here’s hoping it goes along as smoothly as the first!!

Posted by Laura Best on August 2, 2009

https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/line-edit/