This morning I posted this picture on my Facebook page, and thought it deserved more comment.
You see, after sending my novel to beta readers, receiving their feedback and implementing it, this was supposed to be the final quick read-through to check for snags before sending it off to Karen Sanders for editing in the new year.
And yet… at only 39% of the document, I’ve already got over 200 edits! Wow. That’s a lot.
This book officially sprang into life a year ago, during NaNoWriMo 2016. My plan at the time was to take part in the challenge every year, but now I’m thinking that every two years will probably suit me better. I’ve definitely accelerated my writing process, which was part of the plan – now all I have to do is streamline how many times I actually have to edit the darn thing!
Good luck to everyone who’s taking part in National Novel Writing Month this year – it’s always a blast… a tiring, obsessive, chocolate-bingeing blast 😉
Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? How’s it going, so far?
Annalisa Crawford - Blogging with My Fountain Pen 
Yep, doing NaNo, and I’m already behind in my word count. Sigh. But it’s early days yet. I like your idea of doing it every other year – interesting!
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At least if you’re behind now, there are plenty of weekends for hunkering down and getting words on the page! Yes, I think the every other year idea will give me space to edit, submit, and work on some shorts before diving back in. Look out, NaNo2018 🙂
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I’m firmly convinced that edits will come forever. Just when I think I’ve got it “perfect,” someone (often me) finds something that needs tweaking. No NaNo here!
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I’ve got whole paragraphs that no longer make sense, and I swear they did in the summer!
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It does seem like edits are never done. I can always find a flaw or a tweak that needs done.
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It’s so reassuring to hear it from other people. I guess, in the end, we just have to have them over to the next stage and see what happens!
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I’m not taking part in NaNoWriMo this year because the “final” edits on my book are taking waaaaaaaaay longer than anticipated. Which, at this point, I really should have anticipated happening.
Happy editing—may the other 61% go smoothly!
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I feel for you, MJ, especially knowing how much longer your books are to mine!
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At least they are finding them! Better to have that many than miss that many.
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That’s very true, Alex. Some of the things I’ve found are glaring inconsistencies that I’d hate for a reader who’s bought the book to find.
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Edits are ENDLESS. No NaNo this year.
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Yep, endless. I finished the Kindle edits, now I’m procrastinating before I start transferring them onto the original document…
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Hi Annalisa – I don’t do NaNo … as you’ll guess – also probably should do more editing of my posts – but a whole book … it’s great you’re getting ideas and edits through … as MJ says – good luck with the other 61% … things will work out. But it makes sense to do NaNo every other year … that resonates! Cheers Hilary
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Thanks Hilary 🙂
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Wow, that’s a lot of edits! And I think you have the right idea about NaNoWriMo; you’re writing anyway, so you don’t necessarily have to do it every year. I’m not doing Nano because November is an especially busy month at work for me, but I have been writing; I’m working on a new story that is somehow easier for me to write than the ones I’ve been working on in the past. Maybe it’s because this time, it’s about something that’s closer to my heart: my life in Chicago.
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Finding a story you really want to tell is half the battle. Good luck with it 🙂
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congrats on lots of nitpicking and edits. I have no doubt it is worth the hard work and the quality and intensity of your work shall shine. I can’t wait to buy and read your work. I know it will be awesome. Hang in there………don’t rush the process, and yes you deserve chocolate every day. Cheers and kudos to you. Happy NaNo Anniversary!
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No, definitely not rushing. Got a six week rewrite plan, starting tomorrow, and then after that there will probably be more edits!
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I’ve never counted how many edits I make, but 200 doesn’t seem like a lot.
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It was 375 by the time I finished reading – including about 50 ‘rewrite to make sense’ paragraphs. I’ve also found 328 ‘that’s to, 158 ‘look’s, and 159 ‘see’s to attempt to remove. But – just because I’m nerdy – only 21 occurrences of the word ‘said’ 😉
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Stop counting them… 🙂 Well done for getting to that stage. And best of luck with getting your book out there.
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I wasn’t actively counting them, but Kindle numbered them, so I know. I counted up my overused words, because that’s how I decide which words need to be culled – or at least looked at. Also, I’m a bit of a nerd, and tracking the numbers interest me 🙂
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I was doing NaNo but have already thrown in the towel. Just didn’t work this year. But maybe next year I’ll try again. Your idea of doing it every other year seems like a good one. 🙂
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NaNo is great, but it has to fit in with the rest of your life – once family, friends and work get involved, it becomes a military operation. We’ll both ace it next year 🙂
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I know it’s probably a pain to have to do those, but the positive note is that they enjoyed your book and gave feedback. That keeps things moving along. I’m thrilled to know that you’re writing an entire book! Kudos to you! Hugs…RO
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I’m not a natural novel writer, I tend to find shorter stories suit me better – in fact, this novel is only just squeezing into the definition 🙂
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