Want to know how a novella is edited?

Mar 13, 2022 7:20 am

Hello again!

Over the last few weeks, I found that I had hit a bit of a roadblock with my main project, The Elixir of Power.

I thought it might be a good idea to have a break, and tinker with The Dragon That Never Was.

So what happened was ... I finished it.

I wish I had ready copies for you, but I'm just waiting on the cover art. I should be getting it over the next few days, at which point it will be available. It's super exciting and energizing, and it might be just the little boost I need to keep going with Elixir.

To all the beta readers that helped with feedback on Dragon, thank you! I appreciated every single thing you all pointed out. Many of you pointed out the exact same issues, which made it very easy for me to make decisions. Nothing is worse than when half of the readers say 'X needs to go!' while the other half say 'X is my favorite part!'

So all beta readers will be receiving a free copy of The Dragon That Never Was eBook in thanks.

What has been blocking progress on The Elixir of Power?

The same thing as always, unfortunately.

A bit of perfectionism and self-doubt mixed with the fact that the size and complexity of the story makes it hard for me to wrap my head around.

There have been a couple of scenes that have been a real struggle to get right. Taking a break was the best thing I could do, because the moment I 'turned my brain off' all these answers that solved all the problems came flooding in.

What exactly needed fixing in The Dragon That Never Was?

As I said, there was a lot of agreement about what was working and what was not working.

Common positives people mentioned included:

The character's feelings and struggles came across clearly. The happy scenes felt happy, the sad scenes felt sad. Some readers even said certain scenes brought them close to tears, which was amazing to hear!
The relationships between the characters developed well over the course of the story.
The most common comment was probably: "I really wish I could live there and have a dragon!" which is encouraging—that was 100% what I was going for with the setting. (I won't take all the credit—dragons are just great like that)

Commonly noted issues that needed fixing included:

There was a 'storyteller' narrator that sometimes interrupted the story in a jarring way. I didn't get rid of that type of narrator altogether, but I just made that style of narration more appropriate, and there are no longer jarring sections.
Various typos and consistency issues. In general I took all these on board without question, because keeping errors out and making the phrasing nice and clear is always a priority.
There was a lot of curiosity about the particular ins-and-outs of everyday life in the setting. I agree that the questions were fair, however, I tried not to add too much extra details because, as a novella, the story has to remain quite short and focused. Perhaps in future a longer story could flesh out details—chances of this improve if there are many requests for a sequel!

So there we are! I hope that insight into taking on feedback and editing a manuscript is interesting. I'd love to continue doing things like that.

Soon I'll be releasing Dragon, and I hope you'll all enjoy reading it. I certainly enjoyed writing it and working with the beta readers.

I wrote a new essay for my blog:

This essay is a rebuttal to a common sentiment online: that English teacher's will 'make up' the significance of symbolism. They say that maybe the blue curtains don't represent sadness and despair—maybe the curtains are just blue.

https://timothyscottcurrey.com/timothy-s-currey-blog/2022/3/10/were-the-curtains-really-just-blue

I have written the essay intending for it to reach the ears of fellow writers, but hopefully it's interesting for anyone who is interesting in the way authors construct meaning in a story.

I think stories do mean something. I'm biased, yes, but I think the evidence is everywhere. There are only so many times you can hear people say, "Have you read this book? It changed my life!" and remain doubtful of that fact. I think themes, motifs, messages, and yes, even symbols, are a large part of that.

Below are some books worth checking out. Maybe somewhere among them is hiding the next life-changing read. Who knows?