Getting from Draft to Decent

Behind the scenes of book editing & my messy writing process

Rough drafts are rough. I know, most obvious statement ever. I usually have some sense of the issues in my first drafts, but by the time I get 3/4 of the way through writing, I’m too focused on just get the thing DONE and decide I’ll worry about any issues later.

Eventually I finish a semblance of a novel, send in the first draft to my editors (often quite late…), and wait. During that time, I delude myself into thinking that perhaps it was far better than I thought and really, the revisions should be easy.

Then I get the editorial letter and…

***CUE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS***

Image of my brain upon reading the editorial letter for Love in the Floating City. Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

INTERNAL SCREAMING

EXTERNAL SCREAMING

WAILING AND GNASHING OF TEETH

Internal dialogue along the lines of:

How did I miss that? What was I thinking? Why did I not [re-read the first book/write a character sketch/discuss the plot with anyone other than myself] before I turned it in? This is a disaster!

That’s followed by something of a spiral into artistic despair, which is usually solved only by way of chocolate and a conversation with my editor who assures me that everything will be fine, I don’t need to scrap the entire manuscript and all my dreams. And, simultaneously, that I don’t have to enter into pitched battle with her to save the pieces I think are essential.

Eventually I take a deep breath and get down to business.

Step One: Read the Notes

My brain wants nothing more than to skim all the feedback, so as to avoid any Negative Emotions. Step one (for me at least) is…well…don’t do that.

Every editor I’ve worked with is thorough, thoughtful, and genuinely encouraging even while he or she is carefully identifying the issues with my manuscript. It’s worth reading every piece of feedback I receive, because if I try and skim, I’ll miss crucial fixes as well as much-appreciated positive affirmation.

I then follow up with my editor(s) as needed. For Love in the Floating City, I have the gift of working with my dear friend Nancy Bechel, editor and book coach extraordinaire, who loves my stories and characters even more than I do. I’ve leveraged that with some deep brainstorming sessions to take her overarching notes and figure out practical solutions. When you’re working with a good editor, there’s always room for back and forth with mutual respect and collaboration.

Step Two: The Big Stuff

Developmental edits are my chance to make sure the themes, character arcs, major plotlines, romance beats, and genre expectations are all solidly in place. That takes a lot of big-picture thinking, making notes, hashing out possibilities, and looking for solutions that solve more than one problem at once.

Photo by MING Labs on Unsplash

Here’s an example. Most romance stories rely on forced proximity: putting two people close enough together that they can actually get to know each other and fall in love. If you’ve read my first book, Love in the Eternal City, that shows up as Elena’s newfound friendship with Rianna (putting her in closer contact with Beni) and Monsignor’s scheming to make Beni and Elena work together on the Annunciation Gala.

My problem with LFC is that Oscar and Rianna are 1) in two different countries and 2) already in a relationship of some sort after book one. In the first draft, I used the whodunnit plotline to create forced proximity, but my editor pointed out that everything felt rushed and the story was missing the romantic tension (and comedy) that it needs.

For this second draft, I’m rethinking traditional forced proximity in light of Oscar and Rianna’s existing relationship—essentially, chosen proximity. That lets me continue the series smoothly and allows some delightful romantic tension (and long-distance dating representation.)

Step Three: Scene by Scene

I find it’s easier to trace out the new beats for each character, the romance, and the whodunnit, before I begin weaving them together again. I spent the last week doing that with a notebook and pen in the middle of work travel. Now I’m at a point where I can start the actual rewriting process, retaining what works from the original and letting my imagination play within my refreshed vision of the story. I’ll go chapter by chapter, keeping an eye on my notes and my editor’s as I go, to make sure I catch all the changes that need to happen.

If new problems crop up, I’ll have another brainstorming sesh with Nancy or throw long WHAT IF??? voice messages her way.

Authorial Virtues Needed

Revisions are possibly even harder than writing the book in the first place. They’re best approached with gratitude, courage, and humility, and guided by a deep love for the readers who will be impacted by the book. I’m still working on all of those virtues!

Ultimately, what helps me stay grounded is remembering that this is one of several editorial rounds. I’m doing structural work now, and there will be time to come back and polish. I trust my editors to have my back, which lets me set aside the perfectionism that always threatens to freeze me.

I’m so grateful for the Eureka! moments that come during this phase of writing! They’re hard to share without spoilers, but when you figure out that one change that sorts out three problems at once…chef’s kiss.

Pray for me, I have a lot of work to do! I’m so excited about where this story is going, though, and I can’t wait to share it with you all. What else do you want to know about the editing process or story development?

Love,

R