Those of you following my blog know that I recently hired an editor to go through my WIP, RESILIENCE, in order to get it ready to start the submission process. If you’ve read my previous posts on this, you’ll also know that I was completely terrified to hear what the editor said.
As an introvert, it is painful to have to share my writing with others and this is only the second time I’ve shared the entire book with anyone. My biggest fear was that there was something deeply wrong with the entire story. I worried that the entire concept was unbelievable, that it was too predictable, or that it just didn’t make any sense. I was therefore incredibly relieved when I opened up my letter and saw the following paragraph:
Wow, this book really surprised me. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, you threw in a twist. There is no way when I started reading that I could have guessed the book would unfold as it did. It felt very original and I enjoyed it very much.
Yes!!! It was original and unpredictable! That feedback is the best that I could hope for. For me that was a humongous relief! Just the fact that someone who reads books for a living couldn’t predict where it was going means something. It means I did something right.
Of course, it goes on to list numerous changes I need to make with the timeline and some logistics of different scenes. That is, after all, what I was paying her to do, but the structure of the overall story line is sound and that is certainly a relief.
So, now I’m getting ready to delve into the details of all the edits. I’m sure that there will be times that are difficult or perhaps crushing as I work my way through the comments of all the chapters. I’ll post updates as I go, and I feel comforted by the fact that I have connected with this great network of writers on here who I know will help me through the struggles. Thank you to those of you who have encouraged me to move forward and walked me through the terror of sharing my writing! I’m sure I will need your support in the coming months as I wade through this terrifying process, and I hope I can return the favor and support you in your own adventures in writing!
