My books,  writing process

It’s so close…I can almost taste it!

August 11, 2013

It’s time for me to take a big sigh of relief…because I’ve finally completed the last edit to Best Kept Secrets, the second book in the Jorja Mathews series.  I can’t tell you how awesome it feels.  Well, maybe I can, which is why I’m posting today. 
 
As a side note, I realize now I keep throwing around the title of the second book but I believe I neglected to actually post about it.  I had written a post some time ago about my dilemma when it came to choosing a name but eventually, I decided not to go with the original title I had been playing around with and I chose Best Kept Secrets instead.  It might not be considered too imaginative but check out the blurb on my book and you’ll see why.  You’ll also see the title to my third book, which will be Ties That Bind.

Anyway, the edits are complete…for the most part.  Because I feel like I now have all the time in the world (but really, I really don’t), I was going through my old posts to compare the timelines between the first and second books.  No two books are the same, which is true with regard to the editing, formatting, publishing and marketing, but it still doesn’t hurt to compare.

I wrote No Mother of Mine during a four-month period when I wasn’t working full time and had much more time on my hands at home.  I then spent another six months working through the editing process but it didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t thrilled with the editing process.  It was a learning experience for me because even though the manuscript had some outside professional help, there were still formatting and editing issues that were found later on in the publishing process.  Not something a new author wants to deal with but it opened my eyes to just how much work the whole process can be.

Best Kept Secrets was started during the National Novel Writing Month in November 2012.  This was a completely different way of writing a novel than how I wrote the first book.  While most of the “meat” was down on paper with regard to the scenes, I had to go back to fill in the gaps, add texture to the characters and place timed teasers to move the plot along.  The process of adding filler took me about three months so essentially, both books took four months to write even though I was working full time when I wrote the second book.  The process I took to write the second wasn’t my favorite way of putting together a story, but I’m thrilled with how the book turned out and I have enjoyed reading it through each edit, never tiring of how enjoyable the storyline has become.  I also feel my writing is tighter and I’m learning quite a lot with regard to dialogue so I hope to hear feedback with regard to whether readers see how I’m growing as a writer.

The editing involved with Best Kept Secrets began in February, which means this book also took six months to edit.  I hope that what I learned from the first will help alleviate editing issues with the second…I can’t expect perfection but I’d really love to come close.

Once No Mother of Mine was finalized, it took another two months to work on the cover and make changes to the eBook format before it was published as an eBook first and then in paperback a month later.  The process may have taken longer than it should because it was my first time, or maybe that’s a normal timeframe.  I’ll find out soon enough.  If July hadn’t kept me away from serious writing for close to three weeks in a row, the second book would be much closer to a publication date. 

Regardless, I’m still working to have the book available before the end of summer – you might think August, but summer actually ends in September.  The paperback version of No Mother of Mine was made available in September 2012 and unless my fairy Godmother makes things happen while I’m asleep, it’s likely Best Kept Secrets will be available in September 2013.  While I would prefer an August date, September appears to be the month for releases in this writer’s household.    

While my initial belief was that no two books are alike, when it comes to No Mother of Mine and Best Kept Secrets, the timeline for both involving the writing, editing and publishing process is pretty similar.  That’s good to know.  It gives me something to work with and it also gives me something to improve on, should I figure out how to find more time to write (and edit). 

I’ll be positing updates as I move towards a definite publishing date so keep an eye out here or on my Facebook page for information as I go through the final stages towards publishing.  I know, the process seems slow but hang tight…it won’t be long now.

  

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