One of the many beautiful images created by my artist friend, Sue Hrubes
Welcome to Thursday, dear reader. Some people prefer to call it Friday Eve. Whatever you prefer, the week is almost over. I have news to share with you; I'm kind of excited. If you are a frequent blog reader, you may remember that I wrote a children's story about my little orphaned goat, Lester. After a lot of time, thought, effort, and deliberation about what direction I wanted to take with the book, I made a decision. I decided to have the book professionally edited. At this point, I have put so much into it that I might as well do it well and right.
When I do make up my mind about something, I go all in. Writing and publishing a book has always been my dream. I feel as though I have a lot of stories inside me, but I don't have the confidence to make my writing a priority. I write to you every day, but it's different than writing a book and sending it out to be scrutinized and rejected. I don't have very thick skin. I get my little feelings hurt quite easily, and let's face it, I'm also a bit of a control freak. So, relinquishing control over something I love and having it cut to ribbons is daunting. However, after many long discussions with my bib overall-wearing cheerleader, I decided to take my little book idea one step further and have it professionally edited.
If I am going to put in the time, effort, and money to publish my little story, I want it to be done right, and I want to be proud of it. I envision something hopeful, beautiful, and of the highest quality. Although I have a background in English ed., it has been 30+ years since I edited a project in earnest. I have no idea about the ins and outs of publishing a children's book, and I have no idea about marketability. I wrote a nice little rhyming story about a goat I love and applied life lessons that human children (hopefully) can relate to; that is where my expertise ends.
I often fall into the trap of being so invested in, so close to, and love a project so much that I can't think critically about it. That is where I found myself with Little Lester. I found myself keeping every word because, in my mind, it was a necessary part of the whole. I did not consider character development, page-turning, accurate meter, or plot twists. Little Lester is my baby, and to cut off large chunks of my baby would be quite painful and unfathomable. With great trepidation, I gave my story to my dear friend, Dr. Walker, to edit and give me constructive criticism. Janet gave me great feedback, a lot to think about, and the realization that I could not get my story/project where I needed it to be without professional help. The Bibbed Wonder said it best, "You have a beautiful little gem. It just needs to be polished."
So, I found a polisher. Enter Sally A. Sally has 30+ years of experience in publishing, specifically children's publishing. She owns a boutique literary agency and works with big publishing houses and Christian publishers. In her spare time, she works as a freelance editor. Sally A. has some serious literary chops. I found Sally on the Reedsy website. I put out a bid to five different editors. Two of them rejected me immediately...one hurt my little feelings. One did not respond. One seemed very fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, and then there was Sally. Sally was my first pick. When I saw her face, I thought, this is someone I could work with. After I read her background, I thought this is someone I REALLY want to work with. When Sally responded to my bid, she impressed me immediately.
Her email was friendly, professional, in-depth, and straightforward. Her opening line was, "I love baby goats!" I knew Sally was my girl. Having a "manuscript" edited is not cheap. There are also different types of editing, which I did not realize. Currently, Sally is working on a developmental edit. The developmental edit will focus on plot, character development, page-turning, marketability, and editing text and readability. Sally explained that editing a rhyming story is much more complex than editing any other type of writing. The developmental edit is the more affordable edit. The big dollar edit is the copy edit. The copy edit is where the final edition will come together.
I have decided to move forward with the copy edit. My bib overall wearing champion is behind me, and this project is one-hundred-fifty percent. However, I am unwilling to take funds from the business or our personal accounts to fund my pipe dream. Perhaps it is stubbornness or pride, maybe it is ownership, but I feel this is something I must do on my own. I have independent options, which is how I plan to fund my little project. I am at peace with my decision and very, very excited. One knows when one's decision feels right, and this feels right to me.
The developmental edit will be completed tomorrow. I am excited and nervous to see what Sally says about my story. I am approaching this with an open mind and professionalism. I know that any constructive criticism is not a personal attack, and it is meant to improve my writing and story. It's scary to think that perhaps Sally will report that my story is absolute garbage and must be scrapped, or it isn't worth the time, effort, or money. Putting oneself out there is a scary thing to do. I am trying to remain positive, and I tell myself that whatever she says is for the best, and that is how it is meant to work out. Sally is not a professional dream crusher. She does not wake up and say, "Today, I will destroy hopeful want to be authors!" Sally has a kind face; part of her bio states that she approaches editing with kindness, and this lady knows her stuff. I am trusting Sally and the process. However, it is still nerve-wracking.
I am also viewing this as an educational experience. Sally stated that I would receive a crash course in children's literature publishing. I can wholeheartedly embrace an educational experience. I hope this is the first step of many. As a dreamer, my mind wanders to all kinds of scenarios. Perhaps, just perhaps, this will not be my only book. Possibly, Fergus and his tale of life with asthma will be told. Perhaps Mrs. Frizzlebottoms and Fruffle Baby will share their tale of mean girls and how they try to fit in in a new place. Maybe, just maybe, a farm book of ABCs will come to life and feature my grumpy geese, my flighty flock of chickens, and my devoted dogs. However, I can't get ahead of myself. I do dream, though, and dreams are good.
There is much work to do. Tomorrow will be the first step in a long process. I hope it will be the first step in realizing my dream of seeing my stories in book form. You must realize, dear reader, that I would not have these dreams without you and your support of my daily ramblings. Your kindness and kind words of encouragement boost my confidence to move forward and take steps to make my dreams a reality. Thank you for that. It's lovely to have such wonderful companions on my journey. I will be sure to keep you posted. I will share what Miss Sally has to say about Little Lester, good, bad, or indifferent.
On this overcast summer day, stay safe, be smart, thank you for sharing my journey and supporting my dreams, and keep washing your hands.
