The First Edit Impression

Good morning! The first copy of the copy edited manuscript arrived this morning. My first impression is pretty much as expected: a lot of marks and comments. That is good news. I would have been deeply suspicious had the editor simply said something like, "It seems okay to me." Like all writers I have read many books, and though I do not want mine to sound exactly the same as all other novels, if that is even possible, I can tell that from the reader's view the novel needs a lot of work before publication. Of course, part of me wants to get a 100 on the test, a slap on the back and a "good job", a new 'star' in the writing world comment, on my first try, even though the other part of my mind says that it ain't nearly there yet.

Now the work begins on my part. Accept or not to accept suggested changes, corrections of my grammar and syntax to be implemented, including that ol' dreaded passive voice, and then a review to hopefully read a novel that reads like a novel. I thought that I once had that passive voice thing fixed in my writing, but it seems that I've gotten sloppy again somewhere. Regarding grammar and syntax, I will never claim to be a pro in those areas. In college writing I depended heavily on Word's correction features. Note to self: check the settings in Word again, they must have reverted to the defaults at some point.

The edit took exactly the time quoted when I turned the manuscript in to CreateSpace. How long it will take for me to return it to the editors for a second round will be seen as I get started today and continue through the holiday weekend. I used to hate being on call or working through holidays back in the corporate world. This is different in that it's an 'I want to' instead of a duty that came to me through assignment or the short straw.

I am excited to have the manuscript back to see what a professional editor thinks. A quick glance at the comments section shows both likes and dislikes, and the occasional verbal head smack on my part. The "you know better than that" goes without explicit statement, but I'll take the hit! I read one comment wherein the editor confused who spoke to whom. That is my fault and needs to be fixed. I am glad to know those things before I attempt to publish. If I confuse a professional editor, I really have screwed it up!

Further impressions and notes as the manuscript review continues!

God bless you on this Thanksgiving weekend,
Bucky