I am very new to all this and I have to admit it's very daunting. It's been a personal goal of mine to write a book. I have had a plot flying around my head for years but never acted on it. I have finally written a draft but have no idea where or what I have to do next. I know it needs serious editing but find it difficult trusting or knowing who to go to for this. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Congrats Stevie! Writing a book can be scary business. The first one can be terrifying. It definitely was in my case. I wrote my query to the publisher, had everything all set to go, and was too afraid to hit 'send' for two weeks. Yeah, being scared and nervous is more than normal. (It's probably the most 'normal' thing about writers. *grin*)
There are a lot of guides and sources for helpful information, but I thought that I should mention that one of the publishing houses I part-time for requires all of their editors to know the book "How Not to Write a Novel" by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittlemark inside and out before they are allowed to solo-edit novel queries. (This is not a recommendation of a product, merely pointing out a possible tool.)
Congratulations again on making the biggest jump and actually writing your first draft rather than just dreaming it. Editing, feedback, and critiques can be painful until you learn to stifle the natural knee-jerk reaction to an attack on your baby. The next phase of writing your book might be made easier if study a couple simple guides to critique and try offering feedback to others on their works. Rhino hide develops with practice.
Keep it fun,
BanWynn
Thank you all so much for your replies. I'm very glad I joined this site as I think it was just what I needed! Brilliant advice gladly received. Thanks
Stevie, congratulations! You've written a book! It may be raw, and unpolished, and far from perfect, but you've got further than a lot of people ever do.
The hardest part of writing is actually writing. The next hardest bit is letting it go - letting eyes other than yours read it. You're asking for criticism and dreading it at the same time. What if they say it's rubbish? What if they hate it? What if they point out that what you thought was the perfect plot has huge holes in it?
Well, no-one here will tell you it's rubbish. No-one will hate it; they may not like the genre, or the style, but they won't hate it. If the plot has huge holes in it, you need to know, so that you an put it right.
Writing a book is like taking a pile wood and shaping it, and cutting it, and finding the right bits to make the various parts, and making it into the rudimentary shape of a chair.
That's a chair, but it's not a finished chair. Next you have to polish it and refine it, upholster or wax it, until it's the best chair it can be. Maybe you decide it looks better as a stool, so you need to lose the back, and make sure that it's still balanced.
Maybe you want to paint it instead of waxing it.
All of these things come to you in the process, and you can't know any of them exactly until you meet them head-on.
It's a long and hard process, but if you stick with it, you'll end up with a good piece of furniture.
The same applies to a novel. It's hard work, but when you get it right - finally - you'll be so glad you kept working at it.
Good luck!
Lorraine