For the first time since I started working on this novel 2+ years ago, I’ve printed it out and put it in a binder. Here it is, all 370 manuscript pages of it:
Next comes the read-through, a very pleasant change from pounding the keyboard. It’s not, however, pleasure reading. I have in my hand my most important tool, my pencil. As I read, I take notes. I look for:
- spelling/grammar errors I catch easily
- a word or sentence I can improve
- a clarification of an idea
- making sure I have continuity (for example, making sure that Lyra’s eyes always stay green!)
- writing questions that jump to mind–questions a reader may ask (or not ask, but roll his/her eyes at)
- my own reactions
Here’s a sample–don’t worry about not reading it all; the point is to show you how much scribbling I can still do 🙂
Here’s a example of what a reader may question. It’s important that Lyra and David make the journey alone to Rahma, a town 10 hours away, without Annie. Why? That’s what I have to make clear. I’m not sure, in this draft, if I’ve succeeded at that. This note will remind me, when I revise, to ensure that’s what happens. I’m not yet changing it, nor even checking to see if it needs to be changed. Consider it like my to-do list for the next draft.
I’m half-way through reading my hard copy, and already my pencil has gotten a good workout. In my perfect world, I’d have written such an exemplary draft that my pencil would lie dormant in my hands. Alas, I am not so accomplished…
I only hope I don’t go through more than one box of pencils…
