I finished Afterlife: Oblivion last night. My initial title on this work was Afterlife: Spirit, but I just didn't like the ring to it. I am not sure I like the two worded title format either. I have thought about things like The Afterlife: The Spirit Begins, or Afterlife: Oblivion Awakens. The problem is, I just dont know which sounds best, and there is probably a whole host of other titles. What sucks is that since it's in rough draft form, no one but me knows the storyline, and therefore no one can help me pick a title. Of course, this might be moot, because it's possible the agent or publisher I snag will have a better one. I am always open to new ideas :)

So, this post is about the editting process. And how much I really don't know about it. But like any good project manager (And don't get me wrong, this IS a project) I have decided to break out the objectives, and break out the individual tasks to be completed to reach said objectives. So first the objectives:


1. to have a complete flowing storyline/plot
2. to have 3d characters that people can identify as people, and not characters
3. to have a readable manuscript.
4. to a have a manuscript where the writing is actually well done, and more like art, less like stereo instructions.

So, now that the rough draft is finished, and (as usual) my storyline has changed TREMENDOUSLY in the 5 months it took me to write it, I have some rewrites to do. Lets put the tasks out as such:


Part I - the rewrites
1. Rewrite plotlines in the beginning of the book to match the plotlines at the END of the book
2. Fill in plot holes with actual content. I have several parts in the book where I wrote stuff based on a rough idea, that has now been polished, that needs to be filled

Part II - the characters
1. Write out a short biography on each character, based on the new personality traits I have decided they must have, and the histories they have.
2. Re-read the manuscript and decide how in each scene a character should be reacting to the things going on around them based on the new personality traits.
3. Cut some of that "Dude" Dialog so it doesnt sound too surfer-ish.

Part III - the readability
1. Read the son of a bitch out loud, to no one. As I read, I catch things that don't sound correctly, or where another word would have been better.
2. Send it to the mama to help with this process.


Part IV - the prettiness
1. Choose the best wording for scenes. This is an ongoing process, and the damn problem is, it CAN be never-ending. A writer never wants to stop tinkering with the wording. This is where I will need the advice of my friends and family of when to tell me to stop, leave the damn thing alone, and start to submit it. This step might come before I send it to the mama for further editting. Part of me feels that the step of sending it to the mama to edit is the last editting step, whie another feels like its in the middle somewhere. We will see how things go. All I know is that I want it to be at least somewhat readable before she gets it so that she can at least enjoy the story :)


That's the biggest test... will they like the story? will they be entertained enough to be nagging me for the next installment? Will they be able to read the book and understand the plot without asking questions. If they can, I have done my job. If they can't I have done something wrong and need to a little bit of editting still.


Before anyone asks: The Mama is referring to my mother in law, who happens to have more books stashed away in her house (and I do mean stashed) than the entire Orlando Library, and has probably read four times that in her lifetime. She is my first Beta Reader, and I trust her to tell me when its crap, why it's crap, and what I can do to make it not-crap.