I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Author: Sheila McIntrye Good, Author
Feeling Overwhelmed
And, I thought writing the novel was a daunting task. It is more fun, for sure, but editing is tedious mind-numbing work. It can become overwhelming especially to those of us new to the craft of writing novels.
Thank God we have experts to help us along the way. Janice Hardy from Fiction University is one such expert. She is my number one go-to resource.
Janice understands the complexities of self-editing and offers some great advice in her article, How to Edit a Novel Without Feeling Overwhelmed.
The six main points:
- Decide whether you want to edit or revise. The processes are not the same.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew, so to speak. Set a word count, a number of scenes to work on and stick to it – a must when you’re working with 70,000 words plus.
- Don’t try to cover all the bases, focus on one thing at a time – setting, character, dialogue, and so on.
- Set a time limit – Time management is a biggy for me. It’s easy to get lost in the process, or become impatient.
- Leave the advice books on the shelf while you’re editing – love this one! It’s so easy to get caught up in the ‘how-tos’ or the ‘should’s,’ and not get a thing accomplished.
- Make a plan and let it be your guide – Use a calendar, spreadsheet, or whatever planning tool helps you accomplish your goal.
For more information, check out, How to Edit a Novel Without Feeling Overwhelmed.
I’d love to hear your tips. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
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How to Keep Up With the Details in Your Manuscript
As I’ve said before, writing “The End” on the first draft is only the beginning of your work on the road to publication. One of the things I discovered, immediately after completing a 77,000 + word draft, is keeping up with the details, even with Scrivener, seems like a monumental task.
When did that character show up? Are the descriptions consistent? Does the timeline make sense? Do I need to name that character? Is the character necessary? And, so on. There are more details to keep track of than one imagine when you begin writing your story.
So here are a few spreadsheets I’ve come up with to help me. Feel free to copy the format, should you find these helpful.
- Character Appearance Spreadsheet – Scene by scene. At a glance I can see where every character, including minor ones, appear in the novel. An * designates an active character and an ‘M‘ a walk-on or character mentioned in a conversation. This allows me to see the flow of the story, spot minor characters that I may not need to name, need at all, or POV inconsistencies.
- Character Map – includes every character (named or unnamed) and where they first appear in the novel; their role, descriptions (from anywhere in the manuscript), occupation, relationships, meaningful repetitions, and notes. Again, this had provern helpful in spotting holes, inconsistencies, or help with character attributes and descriptions.
- A setting and Timeline Spreadsheet – a list of the settings and timeline the story is taking place. It also includes descriptions of the setting (used anywhere in the manuscript), and the relationship the setting has to the character. At a glance, I can tell whether I’m being redundant, inconsistent, or lack descriptions in my settings. It is also, a great way to see the holes in the timeline.
- The Threads Map – Scene by scene, I list the relationships revealed, useful repetitions, unusual phrases/words/references with meanings, threads I need to carry throughout the story, and any notes on holes or things I need to follow up on during edits and rewrites. Helps me spot holes or unanswered questions, immediately.
Hope you will find these helpful and should you have suggestions for how you keep up with the details, please share it with us.
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
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Latest Book Reviews
Looking for something to read this summer? Check out my latest book reviews. All highly recommended! Enjoy!
You’ve heard it said when the right or wrong two people come together – it is combustible. And boy, does Wolfe deliver in this erotic, psychological thriller.
London, a licensed psychologist with a penchant for helping criminal, has found herself way out of her safe zone when she meets a serial killer named Grayson Sullivan. The chemistry between them is instantaneous, dangerous, captivating, alluring, and combustible.
“I’m not afraid of what lies beyond the blackness. I know what’s there lurking, waiting. Threatening. I am afraid that once I set the truth free, I’ll lose the rest of my humanity.”
Book one of a duet, Born Darkly is a twisted, dark, erotic, sexy, and spell bounding, and erotic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, and breathless, and uneasy. An exciting page-turner you can put down.
*Warning: explicit sex and violence. 
Book two in this duet by Trisha Wolfe starts where the first one left on, only more intense! London is transformed and forever changed. Graham is on the run, and she can’t stay away. So entwined, it’s as if they are one. London is no longer an observer. Her desire for Graham takes over everything and becomes not his only his “soul mate,” but a willing participant.
This dangerous, erotic, thriller will take you on a wild, dark ride.
*Warning: explicit sex and violence.
Scuba divers discover a coin from an ancient shipwreck with an unusual marking – a hole. When they find out the coin may be connected to a 30-year-old murder and the suspicious death of another, they find themselves in deeper and the increasingly troubled “waters,” of murder, political corruption, and sunken treasure.
Reminiscent of the old detective novels, Blood in the Water, set in the Atlantic off the Florida coastline, is a fun, face-paced whodunit, A most enjoyable read.
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
COW PASTURE CHRONICLES 