Writing_Quote_329
I have less than 7 weeks to meet my deadline of sending book #2 off to my editor. My goal is to complete my manuscript before my baby arrives in November. I will probably not be able to write much the first month my baby is born—so what a perfect time for my editor to critique my novel (more like a red link explosion on MSWord ).
So, what am I doing different for my 2nd book?

  • Outline sent out to my editor before I even began writing the book. For a little over a hundred bucks, my editor critiqued my 8page outline (plot/characters, etc.) + included a 3 page feedback letter. Why did I do this? Because with my first book –I had to make major plot changes after the first round of editing, which resulted in rewriting half the book to match the new plot sequence (this resulted in spending a lot more money than anticipated)
  • Writing in 1st person POV instead of 3rd, which is a bit of a challenge for me, as I have always written in 3rd person—but it creates an intimacy with the protagonist that I really like. I sent a sample scene of my book written in 1st and 3rd POV to my editor, and she agreed with me that the 1st person POV made the scene feel much more personal/more dynamic.
  • I also sent the first 10K words to my editor (and am taking a mini-writing break these few days she has it—while I continue with research, etc.) –because 1st POV is new to me, I want to make sure I am writing it properly & I am staying in the correct tense, etc. I am being much more cautious with this book (ahead of time)—in hopes of having less work later. I would hate to write 85-100k words and have messed up without knowing it!
  • So, while I have the outline and critique –I am also veering off the plot a little (not enough to change the plot), but as I write, I tend to come up with better ideas as I become deeply entrenched in the scenes (hopefully I don’t veer too much), that it results in my outline (being critiqued by my editor)- to be a waste of time!!
  • Format from the get go (not right before publication). Now that I know how to format from my first novel, it is so much easier to properly format prior to writing (will save me from a major headache later!)

What am I doing the same?

  • Sticking to a schedule
  • Having an outline
  • Using editors and beta readers
  • Using a professional cover designer
  • Using all major distributors (Amazon, Smashwords, Ingram sparks)

Any tips/advice? Please share 🙂