Last week, I received a phone call from my editor at Peachtree. She called to let me know that she was just about ready to give me some feedback on my YA mystery, STAND-IN FOR MURDER (working title). It now has a tentative place on the schedule: Fall, 2010! She asked me to read through the manuscript in order to prepare for the discussion.
I did. Since it’s been quite awhile since I submitted the manuscript, I was able to see any number of things that I’d do a bit differently. My editor also let me know that she’d like me to pay close attention to the emotions of the various characters. In order to track them, I’ll be using Darcy Pattison’s shrunken manuscript technique that she describes in her revision workbook, Novel Metamorphosis. In a few days, I’ll probably have the majors arranged on my living room floor so I visually see how things are working.
I’ll still be working on my other major revision a bit everyday. I’ve learned that it’s important to keep a character’s voice in my head. Otherwise it can take a long time to get back it back.
Kristin Wolden Nitz 