In this email:
- What the subject line is talking about
- Voices of the Future is neither too hot nor too cold, just right
- I lied
- The Quest awaits you!
- You asked, I answered with comments on a 200-year-old Russian classic
Hi fellow travelers,
This Friday, at about 7:30pm, I sat in Starbucks with my laptop open. I had come there to meet with three other writers. Together, we occupied the only four-seat table in the cafe, and we were pretty much alone with the staff and the music.
We'd done some pretty normal writerly things like talk about books and write based on a prompt.
But after that, I started work on something I had done only twice before. And this was the first time I was doing it on my own, not as a part of writing school.
"It" was a very special email.
The email where I sent my newest novel, The Henchgirl and the Hero, to a professional editor.
What does that mean?
Does it mean I'm getting published?
Not necessarily. This is a freelance editor with no direct connection to a publisher. However, working with this editor will put me in a better position for landing a high-quality publisher in the future.
Will the editor fix grammar errors and typos?
No, this isn't that type of editing. The editor is going to read my book and then write me an "edit letter" summarizing the story's strengths and weaknesses on a large scale.
For instance, she won't bother mentioning a confusing sentence in chapter 15, but she'll point out things like a character not acting consistently throughout the story.
Editing a story is like renovating a house--you need to get the structure solid before you paint the walls. This is that structural stage, and the decoration will come later.
How long will it take the editor to edit the book?
About 4-6 weeks!
How does it feel to send your book to an editor?
For me, in many ways, it just feels...normal?
I've been sending my writing to friends for critique for almost eight years now. And I've been getting professional feedback on my writing for almost five years. (Isn't that crazy?)
Hearing hard truths about your writing is never easy. But I feel readier to hear about H&H's problems than I have with my previous projects.
Oddly enough, that's partially because I feel less confident about this book's current state than I felt with my previous projects. I'm more aware of its shortcomings, more prepared for what the editor will likely say.
That isn't exactly a nice feeling, but it has the advantage of lessening the pressure. If I'm expecting rough stuff, any positive feedback can be a pleasant surprise and any negative feedback can be a blow I was braced for.
Still, I would love prayers for this process! Specifically:
- That I would use my time well over the next few weeks
- That my editor would have wisdom as she assesses my story and communicates how I can make it better
- That I'll respond well to whatever my editor says
What comes next after editing?
SO MANY THINGS...
that I'll tell you about in future newsletters.
Maybe I've been spending too much time with my story's villain, because I'm enjoying leaving you in suspense! Mwahahaha!
While you wait...
Voices of the Future: Vol. 1 is now Three Bears Approved!
What?
You heard me right: the collection of short stories that my classmates and I created together has stepped right into a fairytale!
You can now find Voices of the Future inside Three Bears Bakery in Lenexa, KS. This is one of my favorite places ever: a family-owned gluten-free/sugar-free bakery that sells desserts, coffee, savory snacks, pizzas, and pretty much every other delicious thing, all safe for diabetics like me to enjoy.
I guess if they agreed to sell Voices of the Future there, they must think it's neither too hot nor too cold, but just right?
This provides yet another stop on the Kansas City Voices of the Future Scavenger Hunt list, along with:
If you're NOT in the Kansas City area...
I have a confession for you.
I lied.
I said the shipping price for Voices of the Future was increasing. In my defense, I did believe that to be true at the time.
However, due to logistical reasons that would be boring to explain, I actually DIDN'T have to raise the shipping price!
You can STILL order Voices of the Future online at the original shipping price:
And you can ALSO still order Voices of the Future for in-person pickup if you can meet me at a live event:
If you can't buy a book right now...
What about embarking on a free adventure instead?
An adventure with TREASURE at the end???
When you complete the quest, I hope you'll be as proud of yourself as I am of myself right now for remembering to remind you about the quest.
Also, Russian Classics
A few weeks ago, I asked if I should bother to edit and post the War and Peace YouTube video I'd filmed and then forgotten about.
Well, to my surprise, you expressed interest in seeing that thing! Glad to know I'm not the only one who cares about Russian classics!
Here's the thing:
The End
Before I go, I have to say...you guys KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF with your replies again!
In my last newsletter, I asked what makes a heroic character relatable and interesting to you. And boy, did you ANSWER!
I don't know how to thank you enough for the time you took to write out those deep, perceptive, moving replies. I carefully thought through every sentence of every one of them. You can expect to see their influence in my writing from here on out.
You also made me want to write like ten more books about heroic characters, which I did NOT ask for, but it's cool, it's cool.
If you have thoughts about heroic characters that you haven't shared yet, it's not too late! I'd love to hear them!
What other questions should I discuss in my newsletters?
Do you have questions about the novel editing process? Or about writer's conferences?
Do you have a favorite local small business that you like to support?
Adventurously yours,
Jenny Gossell (Jandalf the Green)
P.S. I DO intend to get back to sending emails on Saturdays at some point. I just keep not quite having my updates ready for you until the beginning of the week.
