I am pleased to host one of my favorite historical authors today. Caroline Warfield's newest book,
Dangerous Secrets will be available March
18, 2015. She's taken some time out from her busy schedule to discuss what happens after you write "The End" on your manuscript.
After The End
One of the most satisfying moments known to man or woman is
to honestly type The End at the bottom of a manuscript. The story has been
told. The hero’s journey is complete. In a romance, happily has ensued forever
after. The writer can sit back and bask in a job well done. Right? Wrong!
Ok, I can’t speak for all writers. Some may give birth to
perfect works, each word a pearl, each semicolon correctly used. Here’s what happens in my world.
1.
I put it aside. The first thing I need is
distance so the glow of self-satisfaction has time to fade and I can face the thing
with a clear head.
2.
I ask reliable, knowledgeable friends or
followers to be “beta readers.” A beta reader is not a reviewer. I don’t need love at this point. I want them
to read for plot holes, plausibility, and inconsistencies. I’m hoping they find
timeline issues and naming problems. If he is George on page eleven and Ernie
on page seventy-three I need to know early.
3.
I internalize beta reader feedback and read it
myself for plot. I am at precisely this stage for
Dangerous Weakness, the third
book in my Dangerous series. The timeline proved tricky since I was balancing
story, 18
th century travel, and a pregnancy.
Not only did I have to tweak time references
in several scenes, I found that I needed three new scenes to bridge gaps.
As an aside, I have a friend who never does steps two or
three. She plans her plot in such
meticulous detail that it isn’t necessary. That isn’t my world. My characters
frequently shanghai the plot early on. The “plan” needs to be flexible.
4.
Once the plot gels, I begin a scene-by-scene
review. Does each scene move the story forward? Is there enough detail? Action?
Conflict? Does it begin with interest and end with a hook? I heard one author
call this the stage where you dress up the naked people in empty rooms. The
purpose is to add richness and readability to the story. The writer has to give
readers a reason to turn the page.
5.
Finally I review the work line by line, looking
for typos, spelling errors, and punctuation. This is generally called a copy
edit and, frankly, I’m not good at it. That leads to step six.
6.
I send it to an editor. Luckily, Soul Mate Publishing has edited the
books in the Dangerous series. In spite
of the effort I put in the editor still finds errors, corrects inconsistencies,
and asks excellent questions. We finished Dangerous Secrets (out March 18) a
short time ago. She pushed me to keep my narrator voice out of the book and to
be certain about my historical research.
I love working with her. A good
editor is golden! If I were to publish a book independently I would have to pay
a professional to edit it. I believe no writer can edit his or her own copy
objectively.
7.
Now I’m done—except for the things I find or my
readers find that I have to tweak before the digital version goes to print, or
another edition comes out. One advantage of an independent publication is the
writer can fix it on the fly.
I’m really done. Right? Wrong! What is the point of writing
a book if no one know it exists. The
publisher will promote it on their Web site, and get it to reviewers, but the
burden is on my to trumpet the books' existence on social media, in ads, to my
hair cutter—you get it. I do that while working on the next book and planning
the one after. A writer’s work is never done.
But for the
characters, The End is really the end. Right? Wrong. My FB friend Jude Knight once wrote about why “the
end” is really the beginning, but that’s a topic for another day.
Now I ask you, when you read a book can you tell any of
this? Have you ever read a book you thought needed the kindness of an editor?
When a little brown wren of an Englishwoman bursts into Jamie
Heyworth’s private Hell and asks for help he mistakes her for the black crow of
death. Why not? He fled to Rome and sits in despair with nothing left to
sell and no reason to get up in the morning. Behind him lie disgrace, shame,
and secrets he is desperate to keep.
Nora Haley comes to Rome at the bidding of her dying brother who
has an unexpected legacy. Never in her sunniest dreams did Nora expect Robert
to leave her a treasure, a tiny black-eyed niece with curly hair and warm hugs.
Nora will do anything to keep her, even hire a shabby, drunken major as an
interpreter.
Jamie
Heyworth harbors secrets to protect his heart. Nora Haley fears deception will
destroy everything she desires. Will love—and the truth—bind them both
together?
Excerpt
Jamie translates for Nora during painful interview following
the death of her brother:
“What
is it? I’ll do anything,” she said.
“Foolish woman. You would, too,” he
growled. “She says you need a husband.”
“Husband?” The word hit Nora like a
brick, driving the breath from her lungs.
The major continued speaking, “A husband
would not only add countenance to your claim of making a home for Isabella, but
a husband could also forbid travel to Turin. It’s unfair, but she is right.”
Nora snorted and sat down abruptly.
“Nonsense. Who does she think I can find to marry me?” She looked up into his
face, and what she saw there brought a lump to her throat.
“Me,” he said sadly. “She thinks you need to marry me."
**
Caroline Warfield sits at a desk surrounded by windows and dreams of stories to entertain her readers. She has at various times been an army brat, a librarian, a poet, a raiser of children, a nun, a bird watcher, a network services manager, a conference speaker, a tech writer, a genealogist, and, of course, a romantic. She is a traveler, a grandmother, and a writer of historical romance, enamored of owls, books, history, and beautiful gardens (but not the act of gardening). For more information, contact her here: http://www.carolinewarfield.com/?page_id=471
