That's what I said today to my copy editor when he told me he had some more 'edits' for me. To be honest - these words are not original. I am quoting a colleague of mine and what she told me yesterday while we were talking about her work to obtain her PhD, or is it her doctorate of education? Who knows? Who cares? The point is, at some point, you have given it your all, you can't give anymore. As she told me, "there is not a drop of moisture left in the sponge to give."
That's how I feel after listening to my beta readers' (thank you betas!) comments and taking them all into account as I went through one more round of edits and revisions to make sure EVERYTHING was clear to the reader.
But I am not a miracle worker. I am a story teller. And I think I have done my best telling this one. So maybe there are a few missing commas, or the POV changes (although only two out of seven people seemed to care). And maybe I don't add enough drama or a devious murder, as my son suggested I do, or the death scenes are not emotional enough for everyone (spoiler alert there is death in my story). I can only do so much.
But with each change I make another typo or mistake - such as using the word remiss to mean something that it doesn't (thanks to my copy editor for catching that one).
What should I care about now, really? Did I nail the characters? Hopefully. Is the beautiful scenery of the Adirondack mountains well-portrayed? I think so. Did I maintain historical accuracy when possible? Yes, for sure.
As one of my betas told me when I lamented to him about having to go back and make everything perfect:
"It's time to put the paint brushes down and stop daubing away. The readers may have valid points and their suggestions actually could improve the final product....Be less attentive to outside comments and follow your own muse."
Thank you Harvey.
It's coming.... May 31st, as I reminded my copy-editor today. Pre-order here for Kindle
That's how I feel after listening to my beta readers' (thank you betas!) comments and taking them all into account as I went through one more round of edits and revisions to make sure EVERYTHING was clear to the reader.
But I am not a miracle worker. I am a story teller. And I think I have done my best telling this one. So maybe there are a few missing commas, or the POV changes (although only two out of seven people seemed to care). And maybe I don't add enough drama or a devious murder, as my son suggested I do, or the death scenes are not emotional enough for everyone (spoiler alert there is death in my story). I can only do so much.
But with each change I make another typo or mistake - such as using the word remiss to mean something that it doesn't (thanks to my copy editor for catching that one).
What should I care about now, really? Did I nail the characters? Hopefully. Is the beautiful scenery of the Adirondack mountains well-portrayed? I think so. Did I maintain historical accuracy when possible? Yes, for sure.
As one of my betas told me when I lamented to him about having to go back and make everything perfect:
"It's time to put the paint brushes down and stop daubing away. The readers may have valid points and their suggestions actually could improve the final product....Be less attentive to outside comments and follow your own muse."
Thank you Harvey.
It's coming.... May 31st, as I reminded my copy-editor today. Pre-order here for Kindle
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