The title says it all! I am in the process of editing my second book, Public Affairs and this can be a tedious at times. So, yes, LOTS of coffee is needed. This is exciting because my work will be released at the end of Summer 2018! I enjoy re-reading my work and seeing ways on how can I “tweak” and tighten up parts of the story. On the other hand, there are times that I know what I am saying, but the reader might not get it. So, the editing hat goes on! I am proud of the direction my work is heading towards. Over the last few years of writing, I sit back and reflect on some lessons that I have learned in this process.

  1. You are human….mistakes will happen. This lesson I think is the most important thing to understand because we all take our work very seriously and sometimes people will just pick at things without looking at the whole picture.
  2. Ask your closest friends to be Beta Readers. I know some people might not agree with this, but if they are friends, won’t they be the most honest? In my case this is 100% true. I enjoy getting feedback from my friends because they know me and they are readers themselves. The caveat is that they are plugged them in my accomplishments.
  3. Check for substantive editing (story development) and copy editing (grammar, spelling). This is the hardest part because my background is not in editing at all. I do this for therapy and fun. I am learning to look at things though in a different lens. I also have a bad-ass book coach who has helped me along the way with this piece.
  4. Have fun! Since this can be a time-consuming project, try to make it fun. You are the expert of your work and you know where you want to go, so go for it.

I need to refill my coffee mug back up and head back to editing!