Book Editing Update

I continue to chip away at editing this pile of papers, my lil literary baby, my debut novel.

Despite what you see most indie authors say about editing, I don’t mind editing. It’s a slow process, but every change I’m making is maturing the story and making it into what I pictured in my mind movie. Maybe the editing process will turn to chaos when I hire an editor! So far, self editing has been quite peaceful.

The book currently has 4 parts and I’ve edited part 1, which is where the scene and characters are set. It’s interesting going back to the first things I wrote (especially as a pantser) and looping them back onto the story I finally reached when the first draft was finished. These first chapters felt very loose and a little etheareal, but now I’ve tightened them onto the caravan that is the story in it’s more finished sense.

So far, I’ve mostly been editing on my phone as that’s what works for me amongst super busy mum life. I know indie authors ask online what writing software is the best, and my take would be that Google Docs is brilliant for being able to write on both a computer and phone. It’s not the only software I’ll use, but for the phase I’m currently in it’s helpful.

One aspect of this phase that’s been a slow burn of realisation and potentially some confusion on my part is exactly what I’m writing (no I don’t just mean story beats, plot points or characters). I mean everyone’s favourite topic: genre. When you start writing the story that’s been whirling around your brain, you don’t necessarily know if it will be fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy, mystery or drama, etc. This is when the books and stories that have been influencing you, even without you knowing, start to pop their little heads up. My story is now what I would describe as contemporary fantasy with some sci-fi mixed in. It’s set in 1993 so it has a nostalgic, earthy tone to it with neon colour pops and accents. It’s also set in a regional town surrounded by pine forests and a lake with an island in the middle, so there’s a cool underlay of nature. I’m loving blending genre aspects together to create something that, to me, feels quite unique. The challenge is keeping it neat and feeling whole as a story, not a patchwork of ideas that feel too far off from one another. I’m not writing a strict fantasy, nor a strict sci-fi, there are aspects of both which is fun but hopefully makes sense in the end!

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When I think on what I’ve been reading or watching to inspire these angles I think of Buffy, Doctor Who, the Fantastic Beasts series, and the Outlander books and show. I’ve been reading dystopian fiction by indie author Emma K C Couette, and fantasy by Aussie indie author Loren Tuxford. But I also love deeply human stories: I’ve been consuming episodes of Absolutely Fabulous (hello 90s comedy!) and The Good Doctor. All of this has been swirling in my brain, creating a snowstorm of fantasy, dystopia, sci-fi, drama, history, and a nice 90s twist.

I have to share this hilarious moment however: as I edited part 1, I came across a mention of ‘texting’. On a smartphone. In the 90s. When smartphones, you know, didn’t exist. Go me! 🙄

Aside from writing the book I’ve been continuing on with podcast episodes on both Aussie Tiny Tales (short stories for kids), After Hours Authors (shortform tips and conversations for indie authors) and short stories! I have a space-centric short story in the works as we speak. Stories like these are a great chance to have a brain break from the depths of my novel, and I love how the short format challenges your pace, plot development and character definition. I also love to test out new ideas with these (spoiler alert: I’ve discovered the story concept for my second novel in one of my short stories. Good luck finding it amongst the stories I’ve written!).

Anyway, the edit continues. I’m deep in part 2 where magical things are revealed. It’s quite exciting, and slow, but it’s coming together!

Here are some of the visuals inspiring me at the moment: