An Editor Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Posted by Melina and Denise , Tuesday, April 2, 2013 8:43 AM
I had no idea what to expect when I sent my novel off to an editor. I was scared. Really scared. Possibility of vomiting scared. Now, I don't know if all editorial experiences work out like mine did, but it was worth every barfy second.
I had been given the date when she was starting to work on my novel, and that morning I received a prompt email from the lovely Genevieve Graham. She outlined a little about how she would work, emailing questions as they came along.
This was one of the greatest things about the process and Genevieve specifically: the constant contact. We communicated by email every day multiple times. She would always ask for clarification before making a change and explained her reasoning clearly. She was also open to any questions I had about the writing and publishing process. Trust me, some of these must have been annoying. I am a classic newbie.
I was completely unprepared for how stressful this process would be. I thought turning the piece over to a stranger would be the hardest part, but it went far beyond that. Writing means everything to me. The fear that I would be told I was wasting my time was paralyzing. I always thought I was fairly confident about my writing, instead each critique had the potential to break me. Luckily, Genevieve was so constructive and kind that these concerns were never realized.
I now have an edited novel to work with. Just a few tweaks here and there. I am SO happy with the result, I can't even tell you. And I have such an amazing feeling of accomplishment!
Look, she even made up a mock cover to include on her own website!
Now on to the next step: publication!
~ Denise
Posted in
Aw, shucks. Thank you, Denise! It was fun working with you, too!