It’s been a busy summer at my day job as an engineer, but that alone does not explain my conspicuous silence.  For that, dreamers, I apologize.  That being said, I’m back at it, and have set myself to a rewarding, if slow process.

Editing.  It’s important, as it’s safe to say that no matter how many times you’ve read your work, there’s going to be something you’ve missed.  A fresh set of eyes and an outside perspective can be rewarding, though any writer will tell you that the key to successful editing is being able to take criticism.  No matter how open you are to input, it’s not always easy.  By the time editing begins, chances are you’ve spent years writing, rewriting, honing and fine-tuning your work.  It’s both normal and, I would say, positive to become heavily invested in your work.  After establishing a clear vision, sometimes it’s hard, even hurtful, to have someone else come along and suggest parts of your story need to be redone.

Nonetheless, it pays to listen to your editor.  I read not long ago that one should typically make about 75% of the changes an editor suggests.  Needless to say, that’s hardly a concrete guideline.  The real key, from what I’ve read, is to find an editor who both understands the writing of your goal and appreciates your vision.  A good editor is someone who will not try to change your work to conform to their ideal; rather, a good editor is, essentially, someone who helps you to be a better you in your work.  It’s someone who helps you say what you’re trying to say more effectively, but does so within the bounds of your voice.

After a long hiatus in which I’ve worked on several other projects, I have begun editing on Wide Horizon in earnest.  Currently, my editor and I are working on a structural edit: a loose process intended not to change content, but rather to check continuity and make sure the plot progresses smoothly.  Thus far, I dare say it is going well.  My editor (Lauren) and I are meshing well.  She has had plenty of constructive criticism thus far, but overall she likes my work, even pestering me for spoilers at times as she reads through 143,000 odd words of soft science fiction.

We have run into only one glaring problem thus far, though it represents a significant element of the plot.  There will be time to correct that, and I’m already laying the groundwork for rewriting of several sections, as I truly believe she’s zeroed in on the weakest aspect of the novel.

The structural edit should be completed by Saturday, with the more exhaustive content edit to begin shortly thereafter.  This will be a long and difficult process, but I remain confident that we’ll be able to wrap this up in time for me to begin querying agents this fall, as I had intended.

As far as updates on my other work: while I have read through Pathfinder over the past two days and made some light revisions, it will likely be some time before I resume work in earnest.  I’ve thought about it, but the more I have the more I’ve felt that in order for the editing process to go well I must remain focused on Wide Horizon.  It’s an interesting sensation, focusing on this novel again.  For the better part of three years, I lived and breathed Wide Horizon.  It was all-consuming; most days it was all I wrote, and time spent not writing or working was often spent planning out the next chapter, composing dialogue in my head.  At the high point in my writing, I used to tell friends that I could carry on a conversation as any of the main characters if I wanted to.  In striving to produce the best possible work, I really got into my characters’ heads…and they got into mine.

Lately, in order to lend my best effort to the editing process, I’ve been reading through Wide Horizon for the first time in almost a year, and I’m surprised at how rewarding the experience has been.  For three wonderful years this story was my life, and reading through it again feels as though I’m catching up with an old friend, and realized why I’d loved them so much.

As my focus shifts back to Wide Horizon and the editing process, my overall writing output will certainly slow, but I plan to make sure my craft doesn’t languish.  I’ve begun work on a new story, and plan to rewrite several of my manuscripts in the coming week, in preparation for a fresh round of submissions.  One of these rewrites was requested: an editor at Pseudopod took a liking to Going Dark.  While he seemed to enjoy the story, he felt that it wasn’t quite right for Pseudopod…but that it would be perfect for their sister publication, Escape Pod.  Before I resubmit, though, he suggested that I rewrite a few things, mostly to introduce more background for the main character.  That is a criticism I’ve seen for several of my manuscripts, from editors at several publications.  It makes sense, really…most of my short stories began as daily sketches, in which I tend to focus on the plot, frequently avoiding background, seldom even bothering to give the characters names.  It’s something I need to work on, and something I will correct with several of my existing manuscripts before submitting again.

This turned into a fairly long post, but I feel that was necessary, given my protracted silence.  Rest assured, I will not be so silent in the future.  There’s a lot to do, dreamers, and I’m grateful to have you along for the ride.  Keep reading, and dare to dream. – MK