For those who have finished reading my Second edit… the third edit, having it read out loud, even through a cruddy “Text to Speech” program has been quite revealing. The “Ear Clunk” is rapidly vanishing, and the story has gotten so much smoother. I did 7 chapters tonight, meaning only 9 more to go before Friday, and barring some major disaster, I will be able to make my Beta Reader deadline without much issue.
Get away from me unexpected threat to my happiness! That was not a challenge for you to try and meet!
The process has been a surprise as well. Writing has given me two new expressions:
- “Vonnegut colored crayon”. Meaning that I often feel like I am writing with a crayon in my mouth. Some of the text has been bad and have been grateful for the rewrite to fix it. To my Alpha Readers who have been so supportive… I am so sorry.
- “Nose to Bark.” I coined this expression when talking to one of my alpha readers and trying to explain I was so close to my creation, it was like having my nose pressed to a tree, so I could not see the forest around me.
On a positive note, I got this back from one of my alpha readers after he completed the 2nd edit alpha read.
I finished your book last night! Quite an exciting ending, especially those last few chapters! I was so tired after all the work at the cottage that I could hardly stay awake until I started reading. It kept me engaged and I was wide awake when I finished……You are to be commended for a rather prodigious piece of work. I don’t know where this going or where it might take you, but you deserve much respect as a writer.
Needless to say, this came from someone who’s opinion means a great deal to me, and is not a fantasy fan… ergo, I’m one very happy person.
Furthermore, this also gave me the experience of seeing this book with my nose no longer on the bark, having the computer read it to me to catch the most egregious errors. What I learned is that the first chapters may not be as good, but the ones done latest are significantly better and smoother running. Not only that, I did not realize the story could be as engaging and compelling as compared to when I originally wrote this bad boy. I had to force myself to stop editing because I wanted a fresh mind for the last 9 chapters, which, if fortunate, will be done tomorrow. If not… Friday. But it’s getting done!