So I’m usually rather disorganized about my editing process. My editor sends me a letter giving me her feedback. Usually that involves a couple of pages of the larger issues, then a list of things by page number that are much smaller issues to deal with.

The way I usually approach the revisions (once I’ve howled and stomped my feet that it isn’t perfect–not that I expected it to be, but I can dream, can’t I?) Anyhow, the way I usually approach things is to scribble notes all over the editorial letter so that I can remember what my thoughts are as I go through, and then I start at the beginning and just start rewriting from page one. I do this because I’m a linear writer and so I need to start at the beginning and push forward.

This time, I’m trying to be more organized about it. First, I printed the manuscript out in comment mode, which means that the page numbers match my editor’s page numbers, but the print is about 9 point and I have two inch margins on the sides and three inch margins at the bottom–lots of room for making notes.

The next step is to go through and put post it notes on the pages where my editor indicated problems. After that, I’ll go back through and mark the specific problems so that I’ll be able to notice them when I get there.

After that, I will go back and read the whole book and try not to take a lot of notes, unless something obvious jumps off the page. Then I’ll start at the beginning and reread the chapter, and then go through and make changes to it, then rinse and repeat.

Hopefully this means I’ll be able to approach the changes more carefully. We’ll see. Reports to follow . . .

I remember reading somewhere as an undergraduate an essay by a writer. Someone had approached him and asked him what he needed to be a writer. His reply, slighly flippant, was “first you have to like words.”

Here’s the thing, as flippant as that might sound, it’s very true. And I LOVE words. I love to learn new ones (I get words of the day from dictionary.com) and I pay attention to words in books and look them up. I have dictionaries of very specific kinds of words, like the one called Home Ground for land and water masses. I have a Describer’s Dictionary. And I have a a Visual Dictionary so I can details right. And it goes on. I love to flip through them and read them.

Today, in revisions, I got to use the term: oriel windows. Isn’t oriel a lovely word? And it’s perfect! No, I”m not telling you what it is. Go look.

I know you’ve heard this from me before, but as I get into rereading this book (aka Crosspointe 4), and remember I’ve made a point of NOT going back and revising or reading, but have written it straight through, so this is my first real reading of it as a whole, I can say this:

Holy KRAP Batman! It doesn’t suck! I like it so far. Even the the necessary info-dumping background bits aren’t as heavy handed as I feared. Whoohoooo!!!!!

And some of you have asked, so explanation: This was going to be called The Traitor King. I thought it would focus more on one of two characters. But it took a left hand turn and that title just doesn’t fit. I think Cursed By Sylveth, which was the original title of The Turning Tide might work better, but not sure if that makes me happy. I will be trying to figure it out as I revise and then later when my betas read and tell me things.

I can go into more detail, but that might be spoilicious for The Turning Tide, so if you have questions, ask them, then I’ll answer them in a spoiler warning post. KK?

I. Am. Tired. But the revisions for Bitter Night are done and winging their way through cyperspace to my editor. I hope she likes. And remarkably, they are on time. Due today, turned in today. Okay, not be 5:00 NY time, but nothing said they had to be, and as long as it’s before business open tomorrow, it counts. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Just at the moment I’m about cross-eyed with exhaustion. I need sleep. And I need to get back to work on The Traitor King. And there are one or two other things to get done too. No rest for the wicked. Or even for me.

And the remarkable Ilona Andrews has been doing awesome things with my website. Go look. It’s got some issues, especially in IE, but I don’t care. It’s lovely. And I need to add content, I know.

I’ll post the first chapters of The Turning Tide soon–how’s that?

And now, collapsing in a heap. And trying to figure out how to cook dinner while in said heap.

So far I’m not nearly as far along on the revisions for Bitter Night as I should be, but I am making progress. What’s interesting is that I’ve cut at least 6K words out (and I’m not quite a third through the revisions–I did say they were going slow). I say at least because though I keep a snippet file of bigger chunks I’ve cut, I don’t include single sentences or phrases or words in there and there’s been a lot of those and trust me, they add up. Anyhow, I’ve got a file of around 6K, and the novel is about 2K longer than it started out.

So that means I’ve probably cut closer to 8K and put 2 K back in. But really, I’ve probably cut more like 12K and added back in about 4K. I’m still chopping–trying to make it lean and not saggy–and also I know of at least two scenes I need to add, and maybe a third, depending. I also have a scene I plan to cut. I’ve added one large scene already.

My goal is to make this novel about the same length as I first submitted it. That’s not arbitrary. Well, yeah, to an extent it is. But I do believe I’ve been a bit wordy and in making those cuts, I’m trying to force myself to really pay attention and streamline the prose so it’s a really good, sharp read.

I just got the cover for Bitter Night. Here it is. Isn’t it awesome?