What I thought was finished....

Dear Reader,

Last I wrote, I told you about my publicist. She was happy with my story just like my husband and other friends, but as we spoke, it seemed like a good idea to hire an editor just to make things the best they could be, after all, this would be my first published book.

Let me mention that I have been on writer's retreats, I have attended many writing workshops, I have belonged to several writing groups where we critiqued each other's works and therefore I knew that you may think you are done, but someone else's eyes will point out things you didn't see. Sometimes the critiques are a little painful. You have presented your "masterpiece" that you have toiled over every word and in a few moments, your ego can be bruised. Critiquing is a great necessity, but it can be painful.

I had never worked with an editor before and I braced myself for pain. First, I had to find an editor. It is awesome that with the help of the internet you can hire a publicist, editor and illustrator without ever even meeting them. 

I used a service called "Reedsy" to search for an editor. The program is based in London but has many editors and illustrators in the USA. You can browse by category and read the credentials of the people you can hire. I narrowed it down to a couple I was interested in. I had to send samples of my work to see if they would be willing to work with me. 

That is how I "met" Jennifer Rees. Her credentials were wonderful--15 years with Scholastic and amongst other books she edited was "The Hunger Games". I knew I was in good hands. Not only was she qualified, but she was also encouraging and gentle with her critiques. 

One of the problems with a rhyming book is if something needs to be changed, it may not be a simple task as just picking a better word. You need to consider the rhythm, syllables and the rhymes. One thing Jennifer suggested was the book needed a main character other than the balloon. That is how Wren and Twitchy were created to enhance the story. See what I mean about thinking the story was done before?

In the past when I had materials critiqued by peers, it wasn't always pleasant. Working with Jennifer was pure joy. Yes, I had to re-write but I trusted her, and she was extremely helpful. I can honestly say that I enjoyed working with her so much, that I was almost sad when we were done working together. All my pre-conceived ideas about editors were erased and I hope I have the opportunity again.

Now, I had one more big decision to make, the illustrator. I'll tell you about that next time.

As Always,

Debbie