This is what revision looks like. It’s messy and it takes up a lot of room on my dining room table. Spread out over the work area you can see:
- Five manuscript critiques, each one giving me suggestions for change, questions to clarify, corrections and more detail.
- Maps, to help orient myself and provide accurate descriptions to my readers
- Laptop for Internet access, to find yet more information in answer to the questions.
This is the Big Review. It resulted in a manuscript about 12,000 words longer than the first draft. You can see the new total in the word counter at the right-hand side of the blog.
I now move on to Final Review. This involves one more read-through of the entire manuscript. My cartographer Gary, who has been drawing the custom maps for the book, has double and triple-checked the route of the Muskoka Road using all his resources: topographical maps, aerial maps, Google maps. Rewrites will result! I’ll also be adding more detail about things like the Canadian Shield in Muskoka (almost a character in its own right), steamships, and the villages at the north end of the Muskoka Road. I’ll be double and triple-checking all the distances and dates I’ve cited in the book, and reviewing my files to make sure I’ve included everything I have learned over the past year and a half of research.
At this stage as well, I’m putting together what is known as the “front matter” and “back matter” of the book: the preface, acknowledgements, dedication, bibliography.
And yes, there are still a few key illustrations I need to track down.
Am I sick of revision? No – and good thing too. Once it’s submitted to the publisher, the first thing that happens is a whole new round of editing.
Although I don’t comment much (once to be exact) I have been following your progress faithfully and I have thoroughly enjoyed every step – especially since I have the easy part – reading – leaving the tough part – writing – to you. In racing parlance, it seems that you are coming down the home stretch now. As you say, there will be a whole new round of editing but you must be able to see the finish line from here. I cannot wait for the published book!
In advance I say, well done and well done!
Shirley
Thank you, my friend. It has been a ride!
I find this post to be both inspirational and discouraging…the amount of work involved in pulling a book together makes me wonder how anyone manages to push through to the end! At least the end is in sight now – and looks like you are well organized and on track to make it. Just give a shout if you need anyone to give it a last read-over (said mostly because I’m itching to see the finished product myself!).
HI, I can’t wait for the book to come out. Good thing you enjoy the editing. My mother keeps asking how you are doing. She is also looking forward to enjoying the book.