Bit of a rough day. …

Bit of a rough day. Talked to Marjorie (my editor at HC), and she thinks the novel isn't quite ready yet. She also thinks that it doesn't make sense to rush the book through at this point; we'd have a five-month lead time on the original schedule, and she thinks that'd be shortchanging the book, that you want as long a lead time as possible on a first novel. Which makes sense, and it does mean that I have some more time to poke at it some more, with a bit more leisure.

She's going to finish writing up her editing comments in the next few days, and then I'll read them and we'll talk about them, and I'll figure out what I want to do with the book, now that I have the time to really think it out.

Kevin thinks this is actually good news, that I can go through now and have lots of time to fix all the little things I was going to scramble to do during last-pass editing, and he's probably right, but it's also tough to take a task that you thought was done, and find it's not done. Feeling tired, and frustrated at the moment. Not ready to look at the novel again. But hopefully that'll change once I talk to Marjorie and figure out what I'd like to do differently on the next pass.

5 thoughts on “Bit of a rough day. …”

  1. That sounds exhausting, but I’m sure a good thing in the end. I believe these people have your back for huge future purposes. I’m sure the novel is quite good and they just want to see that it’s beyond good–since your writing rep is worth that. As far as I can tell, they want you to be a signature literary force. Which you will be.

    I hope you feel reinvigorated tomorrow.

  2. Well, I do think that is somewhat disheartening that your baby isn’t ready to go out yet, but I believe that Majorie just has your (and your book’s) best interests at heart. And you know I’m always willing to read again, if you need/want.

  3. Oh, _this_ is what you were talking about the other night! This is a good thing, Mary Anne. Dunno whether this is the first editorial letter you’ve had from Marjorie on this book, or the second. If it’s the first, know that what she’s doing is standard practice. I’ve started using it to help me make a book better, because I know that after I turn in my “first final” draft, my editor will look at it with a fresh eye and will give me suggestions that will help me to make it even better.

    If it’s the second letter she’s given you on the same novel, well, there’s always ice cream. And it’s still a good thing that she’s giving you time to do that final spit-polish.

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