Tracking progress

Over the weekend I cracked 70,000 words on the latest work-in-progress which will be the fifth book in my Twin Moons Saga, Champion of the Twin Moons. I anticipate the book to hit approximately 90,000 words.

To coordinate with my marketing team's efforts, that means I've got to finish the draft by May 1. That means writing another 20,000 words of good content in that time. That's not easy. Not only must I produce that much content, but I must also make sure the content makes sense. A rough draft that's nonsensical needs to be rewritten, and I don't have time for that.

Once my marketing team has the rough draft, I'll have a couple of weeks to review it, self-edit, and revise. Then it will go to my editor who will work her magic to help me deliver something worthy of public consumption.

When the editor returns my manuscript dripping with virtual red ink—that always happens—I'll revise the manuscript. I never blindly accept the editor's suggestions. I review each and every recommended change and accept most of them. I'm the author and it's my story. In that same vein, I advise those clients for whom I edit never to blindly accept the changes I suggest in their manuscripts.

Once I revise per the edits, I will submit the manuscript to the editor a second time. The second round of editing focuses mainly on proofreading.

A lot of new authors don't understand the editing process. It's one a once-and-done activity, it's a process. At the very least, editing requires two rounds: a round of substantive editing and a round of proofreading. Most manuscripts need more. They either need a round of developmental editing, then line editing, then copyediting, and finally proofreading. Most indie authors can't afford that "more." That's were editors like me come in: we combine the first three types of editing. It generally saves the author some money and may reduce the editor's passes through the manuscript to what most of my clients opt for:

• An initial round of deep, intensive editing that always results in revision
• A second, lighter round of editing mosly focused on copy editing
• A final round of proofreading.

Here's hint: the indie author can save himself (or herself) a lot of money by making sure the manuscript is as good as he (or she) can get it before it goes to the editor.

So, wish me luck, because I've got a lot of writing to do in the next couple of weeks.