Line edit finished!

I just finished the line edit of Atlantic Crossing. Next - copy edit. To do that, I need to compile the manuscript and send it to the Grammarly program. A couple of my beta readers haven't finished reading yet. Should I wait for them? No. They've had enough time. The deadline for the publisher (me) is May 25. 

And here I might as well as tell you that I prefer to self publish. This way, I am in control of the process, there is no one breathing down my neck to get it finished, I can choose the cover as well as the title, and I don't have to travel to promote it in bookstores and libraries. I've always chosen freedom over money and this is just another example.

The process of rewriting and editing

You've finally finished the first draft of what you hope will become a best seller or at least a good story to read to your grandchildren. Now comes the hard part -- rewriting and editing.
My process involves several steps:

• Outline
• This could become a table of contents or chapter headings. Some people do the outline first and then write the first draft. Others, write first and then structure. Either way works.
• Divide your first draft into chapters of approximately 2,000 - 3,000 words. Try to begin each chapter with a hook and end it on a cliff hanger.
• Arrange the chapters in such a way so that you have a beginning where you set up the scene and describe what is to happen, the middle of rising tension, and the end which provides the resolution following the climax.
• Second Draft
• Rewrite one chapter at a time, taking into consideration the above. Then put the manuscript away for a couple of weeks (or months) and let it rest.
• Third Draft
• Go through the manuscript once more with fresh eyes, polishing as much as you can.
• Developmental Edit
• Go through the manuscript noting the rise and fall of action and to see if the structure is working. 
• Critiques (3-5)
• Give the manuscript to the members of your writing group to critique. Make note of repeated comments.
• Fourth Draft
• Rewrite again, using your writing group's comments to improve the manuscript. Put it away for a couple of weeks.
• Read it out loud
• Using a voice recorder, read the manuscript out loud to yourself, and make changes where necessary. Then listen to the recording and repeat.
• Beta Readers (3-5)
• Give the manuscript to non-writers who enjoy your genre and are knowledgeable about the topic.
• Fifth Draft
• Make changes and rewrite taking into consideration beta readers' comments.
• Line Edit
• Go through the manuscript line by line.
• Copy edit
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Beta Readers level 2
• Give the updated manuscript to a new set of Beta readers.
• Final Draft
• By now, you are probably happy with the result or fed up with it. It's as good as it gets. 
• Title Page
• Cover
• Layout
• Proofreading
• One more round.
• Publishing
• Advance Reader Copy and reviews.

Finally, you are there. Another book in print and hopefully being enjoyed by all the readers. Don't linger too long - start another project!

Atlantic Crossing - on solitude and loneliness

The main theme of my new book, Atlantic Crossing, is one of loneliness versus solitude. 
In the beginning, the protagonist is alone and lonely in what seems like paradise. She lives on a sailboat in the Bahamas. She has enough money to live on and friends for company. She values her life and the beauty of nature that surrounds her, yet she misses someone with whom to share her life. But like John, a single man she meets there, who is looking for the perfect woman, she wants the perfect man. 
She invites James, an ex-boyfriend to help her cross the Atlantic. It is obvious that he is not the ideal man since they have already broken up. But she needs a crew and he is available. The second best as it were. 
During the voyage, she mulls over the benefits and drawbacks of being with someone she is not really compatible with and although they manage to coexist together, it is not a good partnership. 
Steven that she meets in Horta in the Azores, is on a different path and so there is nothing there either. 
Finally, at the end of the story, our heroine realizes that she is strong enough for whatever life might throw her way, learns to accept her aloneness, to depend only on herself and begins to enjoy her solitary life. She decides that being alone is much more preferable to being with just anyone.

Not Coming Home in print again.

Καλό μήνα. Good news. Lefkas Post, an online magazine for Lefkas Island, has reprinted, Not Coming Home, one of the chapters from my first book, Salt Water In My Veins in their spring issue. Thank you, Lefkas Post.