Change Your Writing Process

Currently my second novel is caught up in the process so it's release date has been pushed back (Yes, I know it sucks but it's totally worth the wait.).. So now that I am working with an actual professional editor, the whole process of book writing has been thrown into question.. Can my writing be changed?

I was contacted on Google + by a man looking to do pro-bono work for his own portfolio. This does mean that he does it for free, but that doesn't mean the entire process becomes casual; it is just as professional as ever. Part of that is scary for me, and exciting. Now it is quite known that I am an up and coming author, not very much experience is selling novels or writing for the audience. But with recent communications with this editor, my eyes have been opened to a whole new view of writing that I hadn't been exposed to. It sort of down plays the unique voice of an author by analyzing what the reader wants. This doesn't mean losing parts of your novel, of course, but it does mean that the way you present information must be different. 

For example,
My second novel started off with a little monologue from the main character, sort of looking at her life in it's current state and how much she despises the place she is at.  It talks about how she hates her parents, and the place she lives in. If you do not know what I am talking about, please consult the "Upcoming" tab of my blog because that is a part of my novel that I had released as a sneak peek. It was recently made clear that presenting the idea in such a way is ill-advised for an author. A reader wants to see the information in a situation, not to be told. I suppose it is actions speak louder than words, so the tension of characters needs to be seen playing out before them instead of being directly stated. To me, this seems like the opposite of what people would want. But with my editor's words, who is very experienced in self-publishing and editing, readers want to see information illustrated in the situation, not through words.

But there is also a huge mistake that I have made in my book that will take time to correct: wrong tense. Present tense isn't a good tense to write in; writing in past tense tends to work better for the reader. Again, I would be have believed otherwise which is why I decided on forming my story through the literal eyes of what is happening. However hard of a edit this may be, it isn't changing to the story so as an author, this kind of information isn't life altering. Writing in the past tense tends to be a little bit easier BUT I find that there many be ways where you can lose the element of surprise, which can make the reader lose interest. 

Now though this is the start of the editing process, I'm sure I'll learn tons more information on how to properly write, edit and sell a novel completely on my own. But what I believe others should know that if you don't become educated on the ways of modern, successful authors that maybe hiring a professional editor may be in your best interest. At least, just for one novel to where you discover tricks of the trade and helpful hints that will help shape your own writing process. This does not mean that it is currently flawed, not by a long shot. Every word and story you write is wonderful, but not all readers are so wonderful. As many of us who have gave a shot at self-publishing, some reviews can be less than savory in nature. To appease a reader, and thus improve sales, authors must try to conform slightly to the readers habits and what they prefer to see within a beloved novel. Even if the readers are the target audience, YOU are the creator so don't trade in your heartfelt story for one that is going to make the readers happy. That won't make you happy with it. If you simply want to make a living, there is no shame in changing to appeal more to the reader. To each is their own way of doing things. Because no matter how much I want to just push out my stories, bad reviews tend to get under my skin just a tiny bit. 

In case you are looking, here are a few sources where you can find helpful writing tips on selling better!

Selling Much More

Give Them What They Want

Self-Editing Tips

Making Your Book Not Suck