Hardest part of writing a novel:
For me, the hardest part of writing anything has always been the editing stage. I’ve tried a number of approaches, sometimes I edit as a go along, other times, I ignore all errors and try to fix them when I’m done. Both have their merits. Editing as I go along makes the final editing a lot simpler and I get new ideas to make other things work, but it slows me down and sometimes I lose my trend of thought. When I ignore all the red, green and blue squiggly lines Microsoft shoves at me and do it at the end, I get a lot more work done a lot quicker, however, editing in the end is a long and tedious task.
I don’t actually like reading my own work. Yeah, I know, it’s mine and I ask people to pay for it, but when I have to read it myself, I get nervous and all I can think of is how many millions of other authors there are out there that are so much better than me. If I spend too much time reading my own stuff, I may never publish it.
Also, because I know exactly what should be on the page, I don’t always see my own errors, so I end up missing lots of them. I would absolutely love to just write a novel, read through it once and then send it off to a professional editor. Ironically, I also have a major fear of ANYBODY, including an editor, seeing work that isn’t complete. So even if I don’t edit my work myself, I’m still concerned that the editor is thinking “rubbish, rubbish, utter rubbish” all the way through the book.
So there you have it. My greatest fear as a writer is the editing process. However, editing is in my opinion, the most important stage, so of course I have to bite the bullet. After reading for sense and all that, to help me get through them and find errors more efficiently, I read the books backwards. I go one sentence at a time or sometimes even one word at a time, from the back of the book to the front. That way, my brain cannot override what’s there with what should be there.
Malcolm Drake is one year away from the end of high school when a tantalizing scholarship offer comes his way. Malcolm and several other classmates eagerly join a program called Alternative Science that promises to open their minds to new ways of thinking and of course, help them win that scholarship. Little do they know that this program would change their lives forever. The class is riddled with eerie séances, encounters with spirit guides and a slow desensitization of the teens towards everything evil until they become completely entangled in the world of the occult.
Author: Joana James
Publisher: Createspace
Published: December 3rd 2011
Bio:
Joana James is a 28 year old author from the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. She is an I.T. professional by day but in her free time she escapes from the logical world of technology into the artistic world. She is an avid reader and her kindle is her favourite piece of technology. Music is her best friend and that manifests itself through her love for dance and singing.
Joana writes stories that portray the reality of her world. Her first book, a two-part short story series called Rise from the Ashes featured the lives of two young girls struggling in dire circumstances.
Her latest book, Nightmare at Emerald High, brings to the fore a world that everybody knows exists but no one talks about.
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Stops on the Tour:
January 14 - Meet & Greet at VBT Cafe' Blog
January 15 - Interviewed by Ami Blackwelder
January 28 - Guest Blogging at Ashley's Bookshelf
February 2 - Review, Guest Blog & Giveaway at Cece's Garden of Reviews
February 6 - Guest Blogging with Natalie Nicole Bates
February 6 - Interviewed at BK Media Entertainment
February 8 - Reviewed at All Things Books
February 10 - Guest Blogging at Words I Write Crazy
February 13 - Interviewed with Louise James
February 15 - Guest Blogging with Cindy Vine
February 17 - Guest Blogging with Louise Wise
Thank you so much for hosting Joana today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed having her over :)
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