Finishing a story is only the beginning, especially as an indie author. I don’t have a professional editor looking over my shoulder or a team of content editors ready to make suggestions.
What I do have are two trusted writers, each with differing strengths, who tear into the minutia of my story. They suggest. They question. They critique. They correct. They challenge me to be my best and fuss at me when they know I can do better.
They frustrate the tar out of me sometimes. (And I know I do the same to them!) But my stories are always better from the work they put in on them. GRIME FAMILY, Book 4 of my Grime Fighter Mystery Novella series, is a perfect example. A couple of my characters were too harsh and rather two-dimensional. Harsh, I can live with, but two-dimensional? No way!
I went to work on the characters, drawing out their personalities through their interactions with my mains. Not only did they get more “flesh,” they aren’t nearly as unlikeable as they had been.
My writing “amigas” are priceless!
And the best thing is that I’ve completed yet another phase of my book’s journey. Revision complete. On to the proofreader. Thankfully, GRIME FAMILY is still on track for a mid-July publication.
I’m a huge fan of Murder, She Wrote. I used to get tickled when so many “aspiring novelists” would ask Jessica Fletcher her opinion on their manuscripts.
Marji Laine 