Writing Journal: Editing

Dear Journal,

Editing is still a work in progress. My books are getting better and better each day, but I must admit that I am growing impatient. I had hoped to have editing done by now, but that is not the case. On the bright side, the delay has given me some time to figure out why I am not currently satisfied with Book 3. I have made recent notes on things I want to change, changes I know will make the book much better, and I plan to edit them into the manuscript as soon as I get Book 3 back from one of my editors.

Book 1 is coming along nicely. I am working closely with someone who is helping flesh out the logic behind the world I am building. It is taking a lot of time, but I truly believe that hashing it out now, in these books, will set the stage for following books. Having the logic down, and getting the practice of implementing helpful critiques, will benefit me in the long run. So, I keep plodding along.

I recently felt a burn out coming on and the first thing I do when that happens is I take a day (or a couple) to focus on my other business ventures and read books. I recently revisited The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. That is always a good one. I also listened to The Hobbit, but I ended up listening to it at a faster speed than I normally listen to books. It turned out to be rather amusing. Some of the higher pitched voices, at that fast a speed, made me laugh even more than the dialogue.

Today, overall, has been quite productive and now it is time for a break. My TV was recently mounted on the wall, making it visible from my kitchen. Maybe I will watch TV and do the dishes.

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh

Writing Journal: Word Choice and Imagery

Dear Journal,

The writing of fantasy stories is an adventure! I have been editing my book with the help of multiple editors, each very different in personality. I am learning from all of them what kinds of details "need" to be discussed and which ones can be left up to the reader to create on their own. It is interesting to see people who have completely different personalities both point out the same word choice and that it needs to change. In moments like that, I find myself more open the changing words from one I prefer, because I can see a wide range of readers might not find the word helpful.

It is a grand adventure to learn the different ways people think and to hear about the images that come to mind when people read certain words. For example, one editor suggested using the word "mire" in one section. I agreed, as I thought the word fit, but I later found out it didn't fit the way I thought it did. See, my editor thought that the scene I was describing was all mud, so my editor suggested that word "mire" because it fit with what he was imagining. But in my head, the scene is muddy in some places and contains clearer water in other places. Adding the word "mire" ended up making the text fit what my editor had imagined, but not what I had imagined. I thought that was so interesting! One simple word can have such a deep influence on the image we derive from the text. Though there were many other words in the text to describe the scene as I saw it in my head, the scene we were working on looked different when just that one word was added. I have yet to finish clearing up the imagery in that scene to make what I see in my head appear on the page, so to speak (my editor agreed that taking "mire" back out would help) but the lesson was fascinating! Words are an amazing thing!

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh

Writing Fun: The Night Rider Adventures!

Hello everybody!

I wanted to hop on here and tell you a little bit about the short stories I am writing called, The Night Rider Adventures. These short stories are pretty short, only about 7,000 words each (some may be longer, while others may be a bit shorter) and are designed to be like little episodes. The Night Rider Adventures were something I started writing to help me develop some of the world in which my debut trilogy takes place (these books have yet to be released. For updates on that, and to get the first episode of The Night Rider Adventures, you can join the email list here). These stories also help me hone my writing skills and I hope each episode is better than the last!

Because these are prequals to my books, you may end up with more questions than answers, but don't worry! That is part of the plan! I personally love some unanswered questions and these stories have plenty of them! As I get closer to publishing my books, the first episode will be made available for those who sign up for my newsletter. Once Book 1 of The Arlin trilogy is published, I plan to release more episodes of The Night Rider Adventures, so stay tuned!

Reader Note: I know that some people have strong preferences for how books and short stories are written. As a result, I decided to let you all know that these short stories and the books I am currently writing have one distinct difference, the perspective in which they are written. The Night Rider Adventures are prequels to my debut trilogy (which is currently in the editing stage). My debut trilogy, The Arlin Trilogy, is written in first person because I felt it was important to that section of the overall story that I will be telling throughout my fantasy books. The Night Rider Adventures are written in third person for a similar reason, it fit how I wanted the information to be presented, and the story to unfold. Either way, it also gives me a chance to write for more people! I hope you enjoy both these short stories, and my debut trilogy!

I would love to know what you all prefer! Do you have a preference between first and third person? Or do you read both? Leave a comment and let me know!

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh