The Editing Process Continues, and Other Writing News

Manuscript for Behind the Scenes
and my trusted copperplate red
correction pencil.
After two and a bit weeks, the process of reading and re-reading the printed manuscript for my novel, Behind the Scenes is slowly coming to an end. With my trusted copperplate red correction pencil by my side, I have discovered numerous grammatical, punctuation and continuity errors within my manuscript. And then there are the scenes that just need to be fleshed out that little bit more. Writing a little more about a key character's backstory might just help explain his motives. Is it truly clear that a key character's change of heart has nothing to do with wanting to help the heroine, but that he knows there is going to be trouble and he wants to cover his own backside?

 There have been moments when I have wondered how anyone who claims to be a writer could make such an obvious mistake, other times I have breathed a sigh of relief that I picked up the error sooner rather than later. And maybe it is just my ego talking, but I am actually quite happy with how the book has turned out as a whole. I look forward to making the changed to the word document version and seeing how I go from there.

In other writing news, I am also in the process of rewriting a novella from scratch. (For some reason, I seem to work best if I do editing and research in the mornings and writing in the evenings.) In 2010 I wrote a strange 25,000 word novella about a young woman who wakes up in hospital with amnesia and may or may not have murdered her ex-boyfriend. It was an interesting tale, but I felt that some of the characters lacked depth and the story did not have a satisfactory conclusion. My aim is to rewrite the story, giving the characters the depth that they so badly need and an ending that will keep readers interested. I'll keep you all posted on that one.

P.S. In book review news, I'm planning to take a quick detour from some of the children's book reviews/spoofs that have appeared on here in recent times and write about a few books for adults. Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments box, but be warned, I shy away from reviewing anything in the current best-seller lists. I'm more interested in nostalgia, little known authors or very new releases.

Comments

Trevor said…
Hi Kathryn, I'm a new follower via book blogs, thought I would day hi! Trev @ trevsliteraryreview.blogspot.com
3 April 2012 at 02:39
Kathryn White said…
Hi Trev, welcome to Kathryn's Inbox! I hope you're enjoying the site. Will stop by and read some of your blog.
3 April 2012 at 19:33
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