History repeats itself

Every time I finish a book, it's the same thing. History repeating itself.

This post might get a little rambly, so apologies in advance. 

The good news - I've finished the first draft of my next book (due out next year. Watch this space for more information). I have a date with the editor and I've contacted my cover artist. 

The bad news - this is when the real work starts. My editor doesn't want a sloppy first draft. She wants a "clean" version, which means the self-editing begins in earnest. The usual passes for continuity, filler words, overused words and phrases. Also keeping a sharp eye out for comma splices and dangling participles.

Finishing the writing part means I feel less guilty about taking reading breaks, and I have several books sitting in my TBR pile that I'm falling behind on. One series in particular has three books waiting for me. So I dug into the first one.

And here's some of that rambling. As an author, I've struggled a bit during the last year and a half thanks to the news cycles and isolation, as have many other authors that I've spoken with. Somehow, I'd like to believe the big names aren't having issues with lockdowns and social issues since they continue to produce, but based on the book I just read, that doesn't appear to be the case. As I enter my own self-editing phase, I am more aware of structure and format, and generally I try to turn that editor off when I read for leisure. 

The book I just finished reading, by one of my favorite authors, has again proven that rules are meant to be broken--rules that I don't want to break myself. I guess the reason I'm making this point of reference is because in seeing what she's done "wrong," I sympathize with the struggles we all go through as we put our stories together for consumption. The writing clearly reflects the same lack of focus we're all struggling with right now. She can get away with a lot more because she is a "big name," but along with the hiccups that might jar, she gets all the details right, which makes the story more grounded. Both of these things are lessons to carry with me into my editing process. Stick to the rules (except where it makes sense to break them, and don't be lazy) and pay attention to the details. 

So off I go to clean up the story I've created! 

Tell me, what books are you reading right now?