Editing is a necessary part of the writing process that takes a book from a rough draft to amazing (hopefully!). Many writers complain about the editing portion of writing, and I’m no exception. Anything gets old once you’ve read it over a dozen times. I’m currently in this part of the publishing process for my next book, Welcome to Garden Valley. While I love to write, I have sometimes had to use all the tricks to get myself moving in this editing game.

Here are some ways that have kept me going through this process: 

1. I want to produce a good book! This is number one for a reason and what has kept me from giving up.
   1. I want a book to be proud of. My ultimate mission with my stories is to connect with readers. I want people to find a piece of themselves in my books, so they must be as natural as possible.
   2. I want a good quality book for my readers. That means writing the best characters, plots, settings, and grammar I can. This doesn’t come from my first draft but through weaving my voice throughout the book each time I edit.
2. I love the story.
   1. The characters in my books are fun, and Welcome to Garden Valley is no exception! It’s fun to revisit them and live in their lives for an hour or two a day.
3. The changes are necessary.
   1. My editor had hundreds of suggestions for my book. It has been fun recrafting subplots and adding in different character arcs to ultimately make the book stronger.
4. It doesn’t have to get done right now!
   1. When I get a book back from a developmental editor, I want to blow through it, make all my edits as quickly as possible, and move on to my next book. This is not the recipe for a good book. Instead, this time, I have allowed myself to slow down and enjoy even this part of the process.
5. Crafting great scenes.
   1. With this slower schedule, I have allowed myself to assess each scene and decide to cut it, keep it, or make it better. 
6. Giving myself permission to cut.
   1. It’s okay to cut sentences, paragraphs, or entire scenes even! Yes, these were once lovingly written, but the flow of the story shouldn’t be sacrificed by wanting to keep the initial words.

My mission when writing all my books stays in my mind: to write relatable characters and situations that offer fun and realistic solutions.

All in all, these editing rounds have been successful! I’m excited to hear what you think of Welcome to Garden Valley! I hope you’ll stay with me as I continue the process, with my hopeful release date in June!