This is an update post! I have kept writing each day while also being in the process of editing my book. That has been a surprisingly fun process, and not at all the kind of grind I supposed it might be at the start. I feel very fortunate that I can read my own writing and not hate it. In fact, I really quite enjoy it! It seems that I very much am my own target audience. At the same time, there are definitely changes needed. I like making corrections to stuff too, so that aspect has also been pretty enjoyable.
Editing Progress and Plans
Anyway, the current round of edits has involved making minor revisions, rewriting a few scenes here and there, and making notes on stuff that I want to keep track of during the edit. I mark wherever important details or bits of foreshadowing occur and then try to make sure those are all fulfilled. By the same token, I’m working to ensure that the major events and reveals in the story are properly set up. This phase is nearly finished, after which it will be on to the next step.
That next step is what I’m calling the blitz-read, which is taking a day and reading the entire draft start to finish in one sitting. I actually did that once with The Book of Mormon, and I got INSIGHTS from that. There’s something powerful about seeing an entire story from a high elevation like that, particularly as you watch every little setup and payoff occur without interruption. I think doing the same with my novel will help me get a better sense for how everything fits together, and that should give me some ideas on improvements. We’ll see.
Fortunately, it’s only like 200-300 pages, so it shouldn’t be all that arduous. Can’t imagine doing that with the kinds of tomes someone like Brandon Sanderson puts out. I wouldn’t sleep for days.
Reading
In the meantime, I have not been reading as much as before. That may be why I’m feeling like writing is a chore at the present time, so I should get on that. The last thing I read was At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, which I rather enjoyed. Particularly toward the end with the monster reveal. An admirable bit of description to say the very least. If I can write something even half as horrifying, I think I’d feel very accomplished.
That’s it, that’s the blog post
That’s all for today. No whimsy or nonsense, I’m afraid. If you want more of that, check out the Weird and Wondrous category on this site. There are several pieces there that I posted this month that I think you might enjoy.
In the meantime, don’t eat hummingbirds.
The Astral Wanderer is brought to you by countless hours spent agonizing over bits of past writing that have ultimately produced the skills necessary to write something semi-coherent within a matter of minutes. Share this with your friends, or check out Patreon to support this content. All proceeds go toward funding rehabilitation initiatives for compulsive hummingbird eaters. Really.