Just recently got the corrected manuscript from my editor and plan to read it over soon. However, thanks to my free version of Microsoft Word 2010 I
can't edit the comments and therefore can't manually fix my errors, so she offered to fix them for me if I tell her what I do and do not want to keep or leave.
Honestly, while I missed a lot of things and messed up kind of bad in some areas, I'm still impressed with myself... in the most humble way possible, of course. It's an accomplishment, right? Readers are still enjoying it. I've gotten three good reviews on the Amazon page, if you've noticed, and if you're one of the reviewers, thank you! Rest assured corrections will be made in the upcoming Second Edition. As a bonus, I'll add a behind-the-scenes summary at the back of the book, and for those of you who have the drafty-yet-still-moderately-awesome first edition, email me, and I'll send it to you. Hold your horses, though, because I haven't even written it yet!
I'm looking forward to the second edition because it'll be a load of my mind, and also, that will be the version you'll see in some libraries, bookstores, and of course, on Kindle, even though the formatting stinks, but hey, people be a-requestin' for them digital copies!
Anyway, on a more serious note, like I may have said before, you shouldn't always do what Wolfie does. Here's a writing tip:
don't edit the whole novel by yourself! To some extent there are some things you
should do in the editing field, like personal corrections to the plot and stuff and anything that you do happen to find, but if you decide to do the big job, don't rush, and don't expect to get all of the mistakes and errors and whatnot cleaned up by yourself. Get another person. Even if they're not a big-boss editor in a business suit, grab a willing friend who isn't a blind fanatic or too afraid to state their opinion/critique... or the opposite; waaaaaay too willing and downright rude. That wouldn't be a friend, right? Sure hope not.
Just find a trusted friend to read it and tell you what went wrong and what they do and don't like, even if they don't fix it for you. See, you can do the editing, but don't try all the finding like I did. As you can see, I messed up! I did it all myself and after all my hard work I kicked it out the door... it was well received, sure, and I'm happy about that, but the errors are still there!
Bottom line? Don't do it yourself-- it's not a good idea. Also, not even your friends will necessarily find everything either but they'll see more than you do since
you're used to reading your novel the way you wrote it and often become desensitized to any mistakes. Happened to me, and others.
Also, like I said before, you should still do some stuff yourself. Like, my editor didn't notice that I had accidentally cut something out of a sentence. After you jot down what your homies want you to fix, tackle the manuscript little by little and clean it up. Take it real easy, don't rush. Take frequent breaks, too, but don't slack off the job!
We all learn from all kinds of mistakes. I know, this is only my debut novel, but considering what all went into it, and all the good reviews and compliments I'm getting from it, I'm pleased with the results... well except for the mess-ups, but I learned from it, anyhow, and that makes me happy. After all, even those big-boss editors in the suits slip up and miss things, too! I've seen it in bestsellers but fans don't seem to like it any less.
Keep at it, writers!
P.S. My plans for the 2012 NaNoWriMo might be changing... again. Stay tuned.
Word Of The Day
Undulation:
1. A regular rising and falling or movement to alternating sides; movement in waves.
2. A wavelike form, outline, or appearance.
3. One of a series of waves or wavelike segments.
Wolf
