Often when reading a novel, the most important thing that comes to mind in getting the novel developed and into the readers hands is writing it.
Writing is certainly one of the most fun parts. Fun, but also sometimes agonizing and frustrating for the writer. However, there are also many other activities that go on "behind the scenes" as it were. First, at least for me, there is fairly extensive research. Sometimes I will spend a few months conducting research and thinking about the book before I write a single word. For some of my novels, I have traveled to the locations I am writing about to get a feel for the place and learn details that I can't get from the Internet. I love the research phase. At this point, anything is possible. It is easy to be passionate about the book concept.
After the research and writing comes the editing. For me, that is at least as long as the writing phase, sometimes longer. Editing can include big changes from re-working the plot or a scene to making grammatical changes or just re-wording. Often my author friends will review and give input here too.
When I'm reasonably happy with the book, it goes out for proofreading and copyediting. These are usually minor changes to fix small errors that crept in during editing or had not been noticed.
After this phase, the book goes to a designer who creates a layout, applies fancy fonts, and makes a fabulous cover that will draw everyones attention. Covers are very important to me. I like to get several opinions before selecting one.
Once all this is done, the book will be proofed again, usually several times to make sure that no mistakes have crept in, especially during conversion to digital formats (I call this the black box).
After all these various steps, finally, I get a book I can hold in my hands or view on my e-reader.
I usually have several novels in different stages at once. But, it feels good to have one published and shift focus on to the next.
Writing is certainly one of the most fun parts. Fun, but also sometimes agonizing and frustrating for the writer. However, there are also many other activities that go on "behind the scenes" as it were. First, at least for me, there is fairly extensive research. Sometimes I will spend a few months conducting research and thinking about the book before I write a single word. For some of my novels, I have traveled to the locations I am writing about to get a feel for the place and learn details that I can't get from the Internet. I love the research phase. At this point, anything is possible. It is easy to be passionate about the book concept.
After the research and writing comes the editing. For me, that is at least as long as the writing phase, sometimes longer. Editing can include big changes from re-working the plot or a scene to making grammatical changes or just re-wording. Often my author friends will review and give input here too.
When I'm reasonably happy with the book, it goes out for proofreading and copyediting. These are usually minor changes to fix small errors that crept in during editing or had not been noticed.
After this phase, the book goes to a designer who creates a layout, applies fancy fonts, and makes a fabulous cover that will draw everyones attention. Covers are very important to me. I like to get several opinions before selecting one.
Once all this is done, the book will be proofed again, usually several times to make sure that no mistakes have crept in, especially during conversion to digital formats (I call this the black box).
After all these various steps, finally, I get a book I can hold in my hands or view on my e-reader.
I usually have several novels in different stages at once. But, it feels good to have one published and shift focus on to the next.