As I’m writing this I’m wondering if I’ll Have Another will be the horse that finally wins the Triple Crown this upcoming Saturday. Probably not. Does this have anything to do with my writing process? Only in that the phrase “the final stretch” is equally relevant to both the horse race and what I’m doing the month of June, which is revising and editing my current novel Talking to the Dead Guys, a Boo-Done-It mystery.

Sometimes I think revisions are the hardest thing to do in the writing of a novel. Then later on, when I’m face to face with a completely blank page one, I know the hardest thing to do in the writing of a novel is the first draft.

As far as my revisions go, I’ve already finished the final outlining (I know, I know. Normally this comes first.), and the plot outline (this is to help highlight any problems), and right now I’m going through the manuscript and taking out/beefing up the  plot problems I’ve discovered so far. I should be finished with this in a couple of days, and then I go back and flesh out the characters and make sure they’re consistent. After that I’ll go back over my research, and since this is a novel based on the town I live in, I’m going to walk out the novel and see what details need to be added in or changed to make it as close to reality as it gets. Checking for typos, misspelled words, awkward sentences and style will be last.

I made a mistake. I put off making revisions way past when I should, dreading it. Wish I could be one of those fantastic writers who have perfect to near-perfect first drafts. Already I’ve lost a couple months worth of writing time over it. But now that I’m into the work, I’m finding it enjoyable.  Almost like editing someone else’s novel. Also, putting a bit of distance between writing it and editing it makes it easier to see the problems. 

All photos by Roxanne Rix. My novels and short stories can be found at 

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–Origin by J. A. Konrath.  Heavy Time by C.J. Cherryh.