When I was younger, I thought that authors created magic. I still believe they do. Books have been my sanctuary, my friend, my salvation, my trusted source. Being all those things means they are magic.
But the magic is created not with a wand but with hard work. Bloody hard work.
Anyone who writes a book and publishes it can attest to that.
A book starts out like a romantic journey where what comes into your head turns into ink on a page. The middle is like being in a mud puddles big enough to get stuck good in, with rain still pouring down on you. And the end is like the exhaustion felt after a good 25 mile hike up and down hills, with only half the water you really need.
I am still in the mud puddle on my book as I write this post. I have been through 3 drafts that I’ll admit to, and am working on the fourth. I am hoping this is close to the end. However, I have heard of books that required numbers of drafts (does 12 sound like a lot?). So I hope I am on my fourth and perhaps last. Being prepared to have my mind changed once I read the next version.
The book does get better each time. And I take all the feedback I have asked for from my beta readers seriously because I trust them.
Beta readers are defined on the Reedsy Blog as “anyone who will approach the book as a casual reader, pointing out things they liked and disliked, and highlighting the elements writers become blind to during countless revisions”. (https://blog.reedsy.com/beta-readers) I asked a couple of friends who read a lot to be my beta readers. They gave me valuable feedback that I used to take the book through to the next version. And I rewarded them by making them a character in my story. Thanks Beta Readers.
Reading a book for me is an exploration. And, as it turns out, writing is the same. Learning about me, about the story (because it unfolds as I write i,t as much as it how I planned to write it), and about the craft as well.
Someday I might be a wizard at it. Someday. For now I am content to scratch away at my book. Until I think I have it right.
