The Editing Chronicles: A Not-So-Linear Journey with Without Light
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Well, here we are again, folks. I thought I was waltzing right into the glamorous world of editing, ready to polish my manuscript Without Light until it sparkled like a diamond. Instead, it turns out I’m more like a toddler in a tiara—confused, a little lost, and definitely not ready for the spotlight. Yes, I’ve discovered I’m not quite as far along in the editing process as I’d convinced myself. Surprise! It’s not a delightful dance of refinement; it’s more of a clumsy shuffle back to the drawing board.
Initially, finding out that I needed to return to developmental editing felt like a gut punch. I mean, when did my story start resembling Swiss cheese—full of holes and questionable choices? Talk about a blow to the ego! Cue the imposter syndrome spiral: “What am I even doing? Who let me write a book?” But as I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the first round of edits, the realization hit me: the holes I couldn’t see before were now glaringly obvious.
Let’s talk about the three types of novel editing, shall we?
Developmental Editing: This is where the real heavy lifting happens. We’re talking structural changes, character development, plot arcs—the foundational stuff. If your manuscript is a house, developmental editing is the stage where you find out the walls are paper thin and the roof might just blow away. It’s a great opportunity to ask the tough questions: “Does my plot actually make sense?” and “Who’s that character again?” Spoiler alert: you’re going to want to make a few adjustments.
Line Editing: Now that we’ve got a solid structure, we move to line editing, where we focus on the details. Think of this as the interior decorating phase. You’re choosing the right curtains (or, you know, words) to create the atmosphere you want. This is where you polish your sentences until they shine, making sure everything flows seamlessly and your characters actually sound like humans and not robots.
Copy Editing: Finally, we arrive at copy editing—the nitty-gritty of grammar, punctuation, and formatting. This is like the final spritz of perfume before you leave the house. Is everything in place? Are those pesky typos lurking in the shadows? This stage ensures that your readers don’t get distracted by errant apostrophes or missing commas.
Now, back to my delightful editor. She’s been an absolute gem—an expert blend of constructive criticism and cheerleading. She’s taken what I initially delivered, which I like to think of as mere bones (I swear I was drinking my milk!), and is now helping me flesh it out into a beautiful, living narrative. Sure, some people may be morbid enough to fall in love with skeletons (guilty, especially around Halloween), but I needed to see the potential of my story beyond its bony structure.
The changes and additional content I’m weaving into my manuscript have been transformative. As I pull everything together, I can finally see the beauty waiting to emerge. So, while the process of getting back on track has been a bit of a rollercoaster, I’m grateful for this journey. Who knew that finding the holes could lead to such incredible discoveries?
Stay tuned, dear readers! Without Light is shaping up to be quite the adventure. Who knows? I might even get to that sparkling diamond stage one of these days!
Novel Editor: https://point-earthworm-wms5.squarespace.com/editing-proofreading-services
