How embarrassing! The novel I've been hawking, The Possibility of Justine, contains errors, relegating it back to the role of shitty draft. Certainly not the shitty first draft Anne Lamott talks about. This is the shitty 25th draft or 37th, 41st, 99th. Am I sick of it yet?
Writing is hard. Writing a novel is harder. Two pieces of advice to new novel writers: Pick the names and stick with them; Don't write a period piece; Don't publish until you've had my newest editor look over it.
She called me up. Here are some of the things she noticed:
She asked about Viola - why she quit working for them. That's in there! Justine let her parents think it was Viola dipping into the liquor. Oh, Justine. That's sinking low.
Writing is hard. Writing a novel is harder. Two pieces of advice to new novel writers: Pick the names and stick with them; Don't write a period piece; Don't publish until you've had my newest editor look over it.
She called me up. Here are some of the things she noticed:
- Not brikbrak but rickrack! Now how could my readers and I have missed that one???? Easy and we all know it.
- Not stationary but stationery! This one I find particularly disturbing. Not that I don't confuse words. I do. And I tell my students (yes, I'm an English teacher and supposed to know this stuff and I do know this stuff) there is no shame in confusing words or being a poor speller as neither are any indication of intelligence or anything but poor editing skills. That's no excuse, however! It's always the writer's job to make sure the finished product is error free.
- The "their" where a "there" should be is even more disturbing. Ye gods. Can you hear the mayor's daughter from The Music Man? I can and do feel as ridiculously naive and air-headed as she.
- Now the "Carrie." I changed the names of characters so many times . . . Goodbye Carrie; hello Lori. I guess I missed one.
- And in a conversation at the Filipino Club . . .
- I can't go on.
But I will go on! I'm re-reading it and finding missing quotation marks, punctuation. Egad! Will upload the new and improved version - an awesome feature of CreateSpace. Then I'll send a copy of the new, improved to my new editor. In the meantime, the book is not available.
If anyone else finds an error - or errors - and wants to rub it in my face, have at it! I welcome feedback. You know how it takes a village to raise a child? I guess it takes a village to write a novel June-Beck style. And if you want a refund, let me explain how these first editions will be collectors items some day . . .
She asked about Viola - why she quit working for them. That's in there! Justine let her parents think it was Viola dipping into the liquor. Oh, Justine. That's sinking low.
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