A lot of people have been writing me to ask when the next book in the vampire princess of St. Paul series will be coming out. Answer: I still don't know exactly. It's on my contract somewhere, but I have no idea where my contract is right now other than "in the house." (My filing system leaves a lot to be desired.)
But I do know that the second book is coming along. On Friday, I got what used to be the "editorial letter." Now, it's an email that has a couple of macro comments as well as the manuscript marked up (line-by-line) by my editor.
Way back in the early 90s when I started my life as a professional writer, I used to get an email with notes like "pg. 145, second paragraph, which begins 'Once upon a time...' change to be less cliche?" Having the actual manuscript with the comments function turned on makes the process more convenient and, strangely, a heckuva lot more work.
I'm sure it wouldn't seem like more work to a writer who has never experienced any other method. I mean, can you even imagine hunting through a manuscript that way any more? But, I find that while I can easily see exactly where my editor wants work thanks to the comments, I tend to feel compelled to respond. I don't just respond, either. Because it's a simple click and type, suddenly, I find myself writing a mini-thesis on my word choice decisions, characterization, etc. In short, I'm a much bigger diva thanks to the convenience of technology.
It the early days, I would grumble quietly to myself and either make (or not) the changes while going over the entire novel.
Now, I find I flit right to the next comment and not re-read the whole thing. (I tend to skim the bits that aren't marked-up.) That targeted revision is the quicker, more convenient part, at least. But, as you can tell, I worry that I'm not nearly as thorough as I used to be.
Technology is a weird thing. It's such a lie that it makes our lives easier. Busier, yes, but easier? I'm not convinced. Plus, when I don't want to be revising, the Internets are right there to distract me.
Oh, shiny!
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3 comments:
All right, well cut that out! The editor probably doesn't want to read your reasoning anyway. Have you considered just deleting comments you disagree with? I doubt the editor will remember all of them...
I like the all-electronic workflow better. It's smoother and faster for me. But, you knew that.
Alas, Tyler, she probably has her own copy... but, I actually had an epiphany later yesterday that made it all better.
And, yes, Kelly, somehow I'd guessed that. :-)
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