Book 1 is Off to the Editor!
Oct 07, 2025 5:01 pm
Dear Friends
This week, I finally did it. I finished the self-edits of Book 1 of Swan Song AND sent the manuscript off to my developmental editor. Yes! Not quite party time yet. There’s still LOTS of work to do. But it is a huge step toward clicking “publish”.
So what are the next steps?
For Book 1, the next step is applying these edits when I get the e-mail from my editor. Then the manuscript is beta-reader-ready! Getting reader feedback before the book is published is essential. The author can figure out what’s working, what isn’t working, and most importantly how close to being ready to publish the book is.
For Book 2, I am now making a new outline and preparing to rewrite the manuscript. This will mean cleaning up the plot, exploring the characters and their emotional arcs more deeply, and investing extra time in the narration so that each sentence carries weight. It’s an exciting yet intimidating process. Half the work is done (I’ve already figured out the story’s strengths and weaknesses); now I just have to rework the book to make it as impactful as possible.
One of the things I'm most excited about this month and next is WRITING CHALLENGES. I've signed up to try to write 30k words this month on Book 2 through a small Christian Mommy Author group. Next month, I'll be joining a NaNoWriMo-alternative called the Rough Draft Challenge. (If you've been following me on Instagram, you'll remember me participating in it last year.) It's always a lot to try these challenges. But the push and added accountability can help me to just get the book written.
And I am getting very close to one of the scariest parts of writing…making up titles. Seriously, writing a 50,000 word book is almost nothing compared to condensing the entirety of that book into a handful of words to go on the front. (Don't worry; you guys will be the first to see the new titles as I craft them!)
There's a lot going on in life, between writing, homeschooling and church activities. I'm excited to see what the month holds in store.
That’s all for now, dear friends. Until next month!
Joanna
Want to continue the conversation? Feel free to email me at joannagholden@gmail.com or DM me on Social Media (@authorjoannagholden).
Clean, wholesome Christian fantasy for preteen girls.
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