I had a fairly productive weekend while David was at camp. I wrote a Preface and two draft chapters for my non-fiction project. But, I also continued to learn about the process.
After receiving word from Sourcebooks, I felt a sense of urgency to begin work. Writing takes time. Yes, I can produce something right away, but it pays to give myself time to ensure that I send high quality work.
Incidentally, going back and looking at a book proposal can be a little intimidating. I was uneasy until I had a chance to get my head around the concept once again. Luckily, I outlined the proposed chapters in my notes which were kept in a file. After opening the file, I quickly followed my line of thinking and was able to begin work immediately. If I decide to write another book proposal in the future, I think I'll use the same system for recording information which saved me a considerable amount of time. After spending a few days, I know I will be able to deliver what I had originally proposed.
I know that my draft chapters are only the beginning. I must go back and edit my work, but I must also give myself a little time to ensure that I have written to the best of my ability. Do I submit Revision One right away? No, I think it pays to ask for other opinions. By the way, my non-fiction book actually addresses this same point. I will take my first revisions (one chapter at a time) to my writer's group and ask for their comments. Do I want them to pat me on the back and tell me what a wonderful writer I am? Well, that would be nice. BUT, that is not the intent. The intent is to flush out potential issues.
I also address the use of professional editors in my non-fiction book. Should I go to a professional editor? I think it depends on my confidence level once I have revised my work a second or maybe a third time.
There was another benefit to beginning this process right away. I actually had a few additional ideas while in the shower this morning. While it may not be the same for other writers, I like to allow a little "breathing" room while writing. That is, I like to give myself time to organize my thoughts, which invariably results in more thoughts. Stated differently, putting down my initial thoughts in the form of a draft helps me to further refine my ideas. While thinking about my chapter on premise, I recalled an important event as I originally outlined my fiction manuscript, Box of Dreams (my non-fiction proposal is about the process I used to write the fiction manuscript). I had already begun writing the non-fiction chapter on premise, but now I will go back and add my thoughts, which I believe will result in a more compelling description of my process.
As a side note, I also had a little time to think about how the news from Friday might impact my blog. This blog will continue to follow the development of "Box of Dreams" but will now also follow the development of "Writing Between the Nodes". I think it might be fun to post the steps along the way. In fact, this blog may actually become an integral part of the non-fiction work.
By the way, I hope folks will consider following this blog. By following, I mean click on the follow button at the top right corner. I also welcome comments.
Cheers,
Del
No comments:
Post a Comment