In The Black Blood has been in the works for a number of years now. The book is written from the points of view of seven different characters and I began writing as most would, chronologically, but I soon realised that this wasn’t the best way to go about it. Each time I came back around to a character, I had to re-familiarise myself with exactly what had happened in their previous chapter(s), as well as the nuances of the voice I was writing in. I instead started to write by character, finishing the story for one before going back and finishing it with the next. Once all was written, I just had to slot it together. Then I put down the black pen and picked up the red one. Editing has been fun, for the most part; even more so now that I’m nearing the end!
My first edit was done immediately after finishing the book, looking for inconsistencies while it was all fresh in my mind.
My second was done after leaving the book alone for a few months, giving me some much needed distance.
The third was after feedback from a few people, giving me the benefit of outside perspectives.
And I’ve just completed my fourth round of editing, during which I made notes about everything I was unsure of or unhappy with, or anything I felt needed revisiting once I’d finished reading. I now need to go back through those notes, before having a read through each character’s chapters in turn to ensure their voices and styles remain consistent throughout.
A little while ago, I stumbled upon Blurb.com, a website that lets you create small runs of books. Once my edits are done, I plan on getting a few copies made (actual books that I can hold in my ACTUAL hands!) and giving them to a few friends for a final read through before I start the potentially mammoth task of finding a literary agent. It’s super exciting! Having a physical copy of my own will be so gratifying after having put so much work into this. Have any of you used a service like Blurb to make physical copies of your novels before seeking out an agent, or even used them in your self-publishing endeavours?
Have a productive day.
Points earned:
Recording at Get Loud Studios +5
Gig in Nottingham +15
Super Secret Project work +20
Blog post +2
Bought a laptop -425
Total points -255
The Points Project 
I’m super excited for you! I’m going to get where you are…just give me some more time 😀 Blurb.com is a brilliant idea, one I may also steal for my favorite final beta readers. I know I would be more motivated to provide feedback if I received a nicely printed and bound book instead of a digital file. Great stuff!
Side note: I love the point system you are using – it’s smart and fun.
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Thank you! I’m excited too! There’s still a hell of a long way to go but I’m pleased with my progress so far. I was really excited when I found Blurb and can’t wait to have something I can hold in my hands, even if it’s not the final version
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I know just what you mean. I’m still behind you with my own book, but once my cover artwork was finished I printed it off and wrapped it around a book on my shelf just to see what it would feel and look like. It’s funny how the little things give us so much joy in this craft.
Best of luck to you as you move forward. I hope that book feels like gold when it’s printed and sitting in your hands.
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