Writer Wednesday - When the End is Just the Beginning

Hocus Pocus and All That 

By Maureen L. Bonatch 

When the End is Just the Beginning

What Scruff feels like doing with his manuscript when he has to edit. 

I’m deep in editing for book 3 of my upcoming Witch Shifter Cozy Mystery Series. I wrote this blog post in 2014, but it is still so relevant today. 

When You Write the End 

You’ve just gotten to that magical place when you wrap up your first draft. You wrote the two most beautiful words…The End. 

Ahh, bask in that blissful, satisfying feeling. Enjoy it. Do something special to reward yourself because you deserve it!

Then…let your manuscript sit for a little bit…and get back in there with your red pen because you’re not done yet.
What? But I finished it, you might say. Sorry, but no, Grasshopper, you’ve finished the first draft and now you must start on edits.
Before you start to cry, and pull out your few remaining hairs after the harrowing writing traumas you’ve endured to get to the finish line let me reassure you…your story will be better in the long run.

Scoff at me; throw a few stones if you must… (I’m in cyberspace and I won’t feel the—Hey, that wasn’t encouragement to actually do it, come on!)

Please Don’t Make Me Go Back in There

My writing tip is to share a prettier way to think about editing.
(I just cringed, kind of like Fonzie from Happy Days when he had to say ‘I’m sorry’. Wait, you don’t know the Fonz’? Quit making me feel old!)

 
Compare Your Story to Building a House

• Start with a piece of ground and a blueprint. The first stirrings of your muse and the birth of your story.
• Build your house. The evil synopsis, or if you’re a panster like me…it could be your rough draft.

Your new house is everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but it feels a little… empty.

• Carpets or nice wood flooring give your rooms a little character. Maybe a touch of colorful paint and that empty room is a bit brighter. This is the start of your editing as you tighten up by getting rid of repetitive words, making your sentences snap, and tossing out the garbage. You know, those words you love to use and don’t even realize it until you’re rereading your manuscript. (Fine, I’ll go first. My name is Maureen and a few of my favorite garbage words are: something, some, had, and in fact. Do you wanna share yours? Don’t be shy, I don’t bite…remember, cyberspace.)

The rooms are beautiful, but where are you going to sit?

• Add furnishings. Contemporary? Country? Traditional? Make it a place that says a little about your personality. Define your unique character traits that make your characters stand out and your readers connect with them.

Almost done, just needs a woman’s touch.

• A throw pillow here, a fancy light fixture there or maybe a special cabinet knob. Expanding the emotions in a scene or deepen the POV subtly, to immerse your reader into the scene.

P.S. I’m not going to say it loudly…but this might take two, or even three passes through your house….err manuscript. Hey don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just sayin’.

There! I bet you found some things you didn’t even realize you were missing, but in the end you love your story even more. Now get out there with your hammer and nails… I mean red pen….and get ready to rebuild your story!

© 2022 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/