No matter how many times you edit a novel, pick through every little word, scrape through every paragraph, a spelling or punctuation error seems to slip past unnoticed by your editor’s magnifying glass. It has been almost 10 months since I first published Taking Chances and I still am finding those errors. Every single time, it makes my stomach drop because I can’t believe I missed them in the first place with the errors being so obvious, but also due to the amount of work it takes for me to correct them and ensure that any new copies aren’t printed with them. Configuring a novel from scratch in terms of formatting and whatnot is a pain, trust me.
I can’t just fix it and be done with it. I have to compile the novel into a file, again, and go to CreateSpace and Kindle and upload them and ensure the formatting stays and blah blah blah. Long story short, I hate finding errors after the fact. I’ve edited TC more times than I can count and I’m sure, based on how it’s gone so far, I’ll find another error soon enough and go through this all over again.
On another note, how was your Christmas? I had to work on mine, but it wasn’t bad by any means. I enjoyed the snow that we got and how beautiful everything looked with a fresh coat of powder. I did not enjoy the 10-degree weather we had (that also carried over into today). There is no reason for it to be that cold. I would step outside and the frigid air would cut through my clothes like a hot knife through butter. Needless to say, I didn’t spend much time outside where the air could give me hypothermia.
I bought myself the Edgar Allan Poe collection and then I just bought Origin by Dan Brown. I loved The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Angels & Demons so I figured I couldn’t go wrong by getting his newest book. They are lengthy and you have to commit to reading them, but the last ones were action-packed and fascinating so they’re fun to read.
Also, that Blackhawks book I’m currently reading, If These Walls Could Talk, if anyone is even remotely a Blackhawks fan, it is one of the most interesting sports books I’ve ever read. I can’t put it down! If you haven’t already, I’d go pick it up.
What are you currently reading? If you’re not reading anything, WHY THE HELL NOT? Get to it. Pick up a book. Educate yourself and escape into another world, one that isn’t comprised of instant gratification and that makes you wait a little longer. One that takes a couple hundred pages for you to be satisfied ;).
Drew Schroeder 