I’ve just finished another round of editing for The Veil Weavers, and my brain is fried.
Following Art Slade’s suggestion, part of my edit involved reviewing it by reading the chapters in reverse order. This is painful and strange, something I wish I’d never heard of (thanks, Art) – and yet it’s really effective. It helped me see the story with fresh eyes, even though I’ve been immersed in editing it for a week.
I could follow threads backwards, from the end to the beginning. It also gave me a different sense of the pacing and rhythm of the story.
My last pass before sending it back to Coteau was to read it out loud. I find this remarkably useful for hearing the rhythm of the words, and catching any awkward bumps.
Now I’ve sent it off, and I’m glad to have it off my desk. I need to wade through all the debris there I’ve been ignoring, and then I can get back to my true love, writing something new.
Maureen
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