First Draft

If you read last week's posts you had to notice right off that first drafts are no where near the end result. That's why I keep saying that a finished manuscript isn't finished until rewrites have been done, beta readers have gone through it, and an editor (not an English major from University) has put their ink stained fingers on it too.

Why not an English major as your editor? Simple, there is more to producing a good book than perfect grammar, though that is important. I like to have a couple of English geeks as beta readers because they do catch HUGE goofs. Also, I have a couple of very serious readers as beta readers because they will let NO bogus stuff pass in the story line or with the characters. Plus book editors add a dose of commercialism to the book by sending it back to the writer to add or subtract scenes and characters.

Frankly, some very prolific writers do just the first draft and hand the ms off to their team to polish, while they go off and write the next book. How else do you think they crank out so many books in a year?

So the posts last Thursday and Friday are the first time though drafts. They are flat. The characters, set, and secondary characters are just bare bones and need fleshing out on the rewrites. And it will happen. The book excerpts on my website are further along in the process, yet even those aren't the final edition. The lesson here is not to judge a writer by drafts or excerpts posted on the internet. They might be the finished product, or as in my case, only a representation of what is in the book. The published book IS the finished product.

Go look at the excerpts and compare the writing to last weeks blog posts. See the difference? http://www.nadinelamanbooks.com/

And thank you for taking the time and interest to reading what I write.

So far the vote is: ACT = 6 and RPR = 4. I should have set up a poll for you, but didn't think of it in time. Oops!