January 9, 2009
So what do you do if an editor says your novel is 75% there? And he or she proceeds to list suggested changes to make it stronger? (Without making any promises to buy the book if you follow his or her suggestions.) Well, in my case, you revise and rewrite your novel the best you can to meet the suggestions. This is what I’ve been doing since late November, actually (with copious breaks for the holidays). It ended up being a bigger job than I anticipated, which drove me crazy at times; I was dying to write something fresh instead of reworking something I’d already written and revised. There were times I almost said the heck with it and pulled the rip cord, moved on to another, more bright and shiny project without the baggage. But that “75% there” comment from the editor (an editor at a major New York house, I might add) just kept popping up in my mind and motivating me. I even ended up enjoying the process, at least to a point; most of the last third of the book has now been almost completely rewritten from scratch. And now it’s done…and off to my first reader…my wife, Wendy. I’m hoping for the best, because I really want to be done with this novel for now. Just one thing to keep in mind: rewriting is only a good idea in certain situations, on a conditional basis, so don’t rework your material to death and lose all the voice and spontaneity! See you tomorrow!
