Let the Editing Begin!

It’s done! It’s finally done—my second book. After countless hours, days, weeks, and months, after 66932 words, I’m calling this a novel. I know it’s still under the coveted 70,000-word mark, but what can I tell you? I’m done.

That number might increase with the editing that needs to be done. And I hope it does. Will my editing add another 4000 words? I doubt it. But who knows? I might include an unnecessary mini side story to pad the damn thing and please the agents or publishers that will be reading it.

So, what’s the story about? The story is set in El Salvador and spans over sixty years, loosely based on my grandmother’s life. I say loosely because this book is the product of the stories my grandmother used to tell me, and since my grandma has been dead for 20 years, my memories are now a bit dimmed. Had I known I wanted to be a writer in my late teenage years, I would have written this while the woman was still alive. But what can I say? I was young and stupid back then, thinking I had the stamina and courage to tread the Amazon jungles or the Serengeti plains in hopes of studying animals and working for National Geographic. At least, that was the dream of a young delusional woman.

I don’t even remember when I started writing this book, but given that my first book was published in September 2021, it took me at least two years to write this one. Which is a huge improvement from my first one which took me over a decade.

So, what now? Well, now I edit, which is arguably my favorite part. It’s easy to come up with a story, to think of characters and plot, but to actually sit down and write all of that down in a clear, concise, organized manner, well, that’s a horse of a different color!

After the editing is done, I will then start sending my baby to the slaughterhouse. To be dissected, mocked, and judged by agents and publishers alike. I know I said in one of my posts that I would not deal with agents. But that’s because horror stories are tricky to sell. This is more of a drama or a period piece, with only a few remotely violent scenes. It has a slightly better chance of selling and, therefore, a somewhat better chance that an agent might be interested.

So, let the editing begin! And if there are writers in the same position as me right now, may your coffees be strong, your editing run smoothly, and your stories be picked up by someone for the love of God! Cheers!