Reading Through the First Draft of Your Novel

Ever heard of a positivity sandwich? It's where you give a positive piece of feedback, then a piece of constructive criticism and then back to a positive piece at the end. Cling to this idea as you read your novel for the first time. Most likely, your critique you give yourself will be overstuffed with items. The sandwich may be so big, you cannot even fit it in our mouth, but don't forget those pieces of positivity bread end caps. You'll need those to keep motivated so that you can, in fact, make this story good, even though you've got a lot of work to do on it. 

After reading through Jasper's Mountain all the way to the end, I had a doc full of notes for myself. There are holes in the story. Certain details don't line up or make sense. Some parts are not believable. The list goes on... However, there is a structure I can work with that I believe is good. There are some gold nugget portions in the story. I really like how I tied a theme in with the verbiage I used later on in the story. 

Once you have finished reading through your story, with a wealth of notes by your side, you may feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Let those notes bounce around in your mind for a while, both consciously and subconsciously, letting your brain work out how to fill those holes in your story.

At this time, you should also find someone you trust, and that you know can do a good job of critically reading your piece and giving you great feedback.  

Go back frequently to those notes you wrote for yourself and think about what you can do to the story to make it stronger. During this time, it is important to get real with yourself. Don't hold back any critical thoughts you have while reading your story. You want your story to be great, right? Well, you're going to have to work your ass off to make it happen.

Next week, I will be talking about reading through the feedback you've received from the first person you chose to edit your piece. 

What to do Before You Edit Your Novel

Oh yeah, back to that story ⬆️

It might be tempting to dive straight into editing after you've completed your first draft of your novel. There are two things you need to do before you jump into that editing process. First, let your novel rest for a while. It is good to let your mind take a break from your story so that you can come back to it with a fresh perspective. Second, after you've let your mind rest for a month or so, read your novel. Get comfortable, with a pen and paper nearby to jot notes on, and let yourself take the time to read all the way through it without editing. 

To say I was apprehensive about actually opening Jasper's Mountain back up to begin the process of rereading my first novel, is an understatement. My brother-in-law, critical reader and editor, pioneered this process a few weeks ago. I even let him know I was nervous about him reading it, fearing that what I'd written was total rubbish, and would need to be tossed out entirely. 

As I sat in my chair, laptop in hand, ready to dive in, I blew air out of my mouth to relax and let my eyes scroll down the pages. Surprised at how quickly I read the first 25 pages, I wondered if my book was an appropriate length. Would it really be the fastest read ever? Even though there are over 50,000 words, is it written too simply that it will take a reader a mere two hours to plow through the novel? 

All of these questions are arbitrary, as there is no set time that it must take a reader to complete a book. Yet, when rereading what you've written, your mind can panic at the questionable relatability of what you've written. 

Creating a doc where you write down thoughts, questions or holes to your story as you read along can be a great tool for editing use later, and as a way to keep your cool while reading through your book. There are notes on notes that I have written myself. Rewriting your work is a must when it comes to the editing process. It is a bit overwhelming as you crack the door open to this new land, but know you are not alone.  

Perhaps you've rewritten essays and shorts, but a whole novel? Well, here goes nothing, right?!  

Taking the first steps into this unchartered water, skepticism and doubt follow in tow. Don't worry, there is a waterproof bag full of hope and childlike optimism with me, and you too can choose to carry that with you. I think it is how we are going to make it. 

Next week I'll let you know my overall impressions after rereading my first novel cover to cover. 

The Road: A Book Review

As soon as I closed the back cover to The Road by Cormac McCarthy, I wanted to immediately open it back up to the first page and reread the whole thing. The Road is known by many as one of McCarthy’s easiest books to digest. I find this to be true for myself, as my eyes danced across each page.

The slow, methodical way McCarthy wrote this story, calls for the reader to take their time, slowing their hungry eyes down a bit to fully experience the boy and the man in the ash stricken world they find themselves. I had to remind my ravishing eyes to slow down, savoring the taste of each description, dialogue and emotion brought to life through the words.

In this book, McCarthy doesn’t fuss with chapters or correct dialogue punctuation. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. My mind wasn’t worried about when the next chapter would come, and what cliff hanger that the end of that chapter would bring. The lack of construct made it easy for me to get lost in his world. The conversations between the boy and the man felt raw and painstakingly real. This created a space where I felt invested in the characters. I cared about their story and what their future held.

For those affected by suspense, this book may be better read in the light of day. However, I think there is a good balance of suspense to character building, making it right on the edge of too much, without exceeding that boundary.

As power in the U.S. peacefully switched over from a beloved president to one whom many of us struggle to accept, the images that conjure up in our imaginations of our future can seem bleak. As I read The Road and was transplanted into a world of destruction and chaos, I thought of how trying times as these can either break down humanity or pull people closer, drawing strength from one another.

The love we give from ourselves is never too small to make an impact. May you focus on bestowing that love out to others with conciseness and purpose. The man in The Road shows what intense love can do for another. The boy reminds me of pure love from the deepest part and makes me question if my actions in day-to-day life are done out of love. What an incredible impact on this world we can have if we interact with each other from a place of love.