My Path to Publication--the Last Year

Eleven months ago I submitted The Ethos to WiDo Publishing. I was excited to submit to them--they were a new company willing to work with new talent. I knew I was green in the field of writing and was willing to do whatever it took to learn. WiDo, apparently, was wiling to work with a writer to make their manuscript shine even if it wasn't perfect.

Well, five days later, WiDo asked for my full manuscript! I had sent only the first three chapters, but they were intrigued! So I printed off my first full manuscript--what a ream of paper! I then sent it the very next day and crossed my fingers and waited.

Well, 2 1/2 weeks later I received an exciting and humbling email. The acquistions editor, Allie, told me they all agreed my manuscript was worth accepting, but that it needed a lot of work. I ran out to my husband, told him the great news, but also wilted knowing a lot of my work sucked!

But it was the FIRST story I'd ever written. And I'd never taken a writing class apart from my core english classes at BYU or my communications classes for my degree in Public Relations.

The biggest complaint for my manuscript was that it "wandered in floundered." Ouch. So I bought plot books and got to work before hearing from my first editor. By the time I heard from the wonderful Billy, I'd cut, and slashed and had a new work. But I still wasn't certain the plot was right. When he introduced himself, I told him about the draft. He told me to send it. After reading it, he said he thought it flowed better than the first, but that he missed the ending of the other one, so he said "combine the two, and we'll be in business."

So I did. I worked, and worked, and threatened my neighbors for their parties after midnight, and worked some more. Then I sent him my third draft and he told me my protagonist was weak.

!!!!!

I was completely clueless as to why. So then Billy asked a female editor to look at my manuscript, and she found my problem. I joke that Billy was my Ethos, builder editor. Well, Liesel is the Logos. She finds everything wrong with my manuscript, line by line and with great logic. While Billy was the hollistic thinker, Liesel is great with the details.

Well, I just finished with my rewrites with--I think--my fifth draft (to them--my eighth in total).

But what have I learned?

1. My characters were nodding, smiling, tilting their heads a lot. There are a place for those mannerisms, but new ones sure make a MS stronger.

2. Adverbs. I had WAY too many in my first draft. Still cutting them back.

3. Awkward, weird phrases. I don't know what I was smoking to have written jargon even I barely understood. Liesel has been kind enough to point out those lines--in red. :)

4. Description. I was so hung up on the Alexiou mansion--I wanted to describe every room in detail, like a TV interior design show. I knew I wasn't good at setting, so I found pictures I liked, then described them. And described them. And described them. Liesel's helped me cut those back.

So now I need to print this new sucker out and mail it off to my brilliant editor. We're making it stronger--so that it is pleasant to read. I'll let you know what I get to fix next. :)