⭐️The #EditLetter — a 🧵⭐️
So…I’ve just received the letter from my editor for my fourth psychological suspense novel (due out early 2024).
I thought I’d write a thread with a blow by blow account of this part of the writing process, to motivate myself & share some insights! 1/
My lovely editor starts off with some enthusiastic praise, using words like “complex“, “intriguing“, “ambitious“, “brimming with potential“ and “set to be your best book yet”.
As a psychologist, I know all about the “shit sandwich“, but trust me, it really does help! 2/
She follows this up with fifteen pages of suggested improvements 🤣
I very very quickly skimmed them yesterday to get a sense of the overall gist. Today I am armed with pen & pencil for my proper first pass through her notes.
Back soon to let you know how I get on #EditLetter 3/
Okay, so I am now 5 pages in on my 15-page #EditLetter.
Need a breather.
Everything my editor has said so far makes sense, and she has some really good ideas. There are a few things I’m not sure yet how to make work at a practical level, but I’m not focusing on that for now. 4/
So far, her suggestions include:
✏️Some big changes to the plot
✏️Changing one POV from past to present tense
✏️Reorganising the order of a whole bunch of chapters
✏️Deepening character development
They don’t call these “structural” edits for nowt 😆 5/
She’s made specific suggestions of *how* I might fix some issues, which I always find helpful, since it makes me feel less like it’s all on me to generate solutions. I might not end up using her exact idea, but at least I have a foundation to work from. 6/
As I read through her edit letter, I’m making my own notes and squiggles on the pages, to help me coral my thoughts as I go.
This helps me get to grips with the specifics of what my editor is getting at, so I’m getting my own overview in my head of what’s required. 7/
At this point of my read through, I’m really tempted to stop (even though I’ve only been at it 15 minutes 🤣).
It’s a lot to take in… plus, I want to get out while the going feels good.
BUT with your encouragement, I’ll aim to push forwards!
Back soon… 8/
Okay, I’ve managed another 4 1/2 pages (5 1/2 more to go!) and I need another breather.
These notes have particularly focused on the characters in the novel: the balance between my cast members, and which narratives need to come forward more, and which need to recede. 9/
Everything is still making sense 😅 & I can see how this rebalancing will really help
I think some issues are actually “hangovers“ from earlier drafts.
My editors suggestions are helping me move the story towards what I was ultimately envisaging - exactly what I want. 10/
Will I manage the last five pages without crying??
Back soon to let you know the outcome…
…..Aaaaaand — I’ve made it to the end of my #EditLetter.
And my eyes are DRY!🤣🤣🤣
These last pages were picking up an aspect of the plot which is really key, but which I had sort of “fudged” all the way through because it never quite got clear in my brain.
But! 12/
Now will be the time to dig deep and sort it out clearly, along with all the other edits my editor has suggested.
I’m going to step back over the next couple of days and percolate, then probably return to it this weekend to read again and start planning the actual edits.
13/
Despite the length of the letter, these actually feel like the “easiest” structural edits I’ve had to date, since I can see clearly how I’ll make the changes, and — unlike to ALL my previous books — it doesn’t involve a total page-one rewrite😅😅
14/
I may still cry when I sit down to actually make the changes but for now I feel I’ve got through the #EditLetter unscathed😆
Good luck to everyone else working on edits
& HUGE thanks to my editor Cicely for being so brilliant!
15/15
The final Cass Report is out today.
I’ll try to give an overview of the main findings
🧵
There’s going to be A LOT of heated discussion about the report online and in the media.
I’m going to try and stay factual and positive 🤗
🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️
The review was commissioned by NHS England, in response to various issues and concerns about NHS gender identity services for children and young people. The aim was to make evidence-based recommendations about the best ways forward.
The review took a multi-pronged approach. 2/
The work proved well hard 😅 not least due to the huge toxicity in the debates around transgender issues.
This very charged and polarised landscape continues and this report will no doubt be received and discuss in that context 😬 3/
First up, while reading through my lovely editor’s letter, I have been making notes on *her* notes as I go.
This week, I also wrote out my own broad-scale to-do list, to summarise for myself the main changes I need to make.
Again, some bits are still a bit fuzzy in my head… 2/
…But I feel clear enough at this stage to dive into the MS itself.
STEP ONE: SAVE AS NEW WORD DOC.
(Heaven help those of you who edit your original manuscripts 😱😱😱)
ps For the record, “Draft 2” really means draft about 5 🤣
Thank you, Megan. I’m listening with an open mind & will wait to hear the full series before drawing my conclusions.
I was disappointed, though, that (in this episode at least) you repeat @jk_rowling’s severe misrepresentation of Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill as… 1/
…allowing trans people to use a new “self ID” process to “access single-sex services or spaces with no (medical) gatekeeping”.
As JK has been informed *many times*, the UK’s legal gender recognition process (covered by our Gender Recognition Act 2004)… 2/
…has *no* impact on access to / exclusion from single-sex services for trans people.
Ref👆: equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/ne…
(NB: The Equality & Human Rights Commission is the UK’s statutory body for oversight and guidance on UK equality laws.)
3/
Okay, writing comrades!
Line edits for #IllNeverTell are DONE and the first 40k words of my 4th book are with my agent so...
🤩
...it's time for another of #PhilippasTutorials!
This one is all about the final INTERNAL genre:
🧭🧭🧭 The MORALITY genre 🧭🧭🧭
#WritingCommnunity 1/
Don't fret if you've missed any of the previous tutorials. I will link to all of them at the end of this tutorial thread.
For now, let's dive in! 2/
First, let's recap what an INTERNAL genre is:
INTERNAL genres track the *inner character arcs* that our protagonist(s) go through.
It can be the main GENRE for your story, or be married with one of the EXTERNAL genres to create a richly-layered story with a powerful theme. 3/
Morning, brilliant people!🤩
It’s a lovely sunny day here so just let me get installed in my #hammock & we’ll kick off another #PhilippasTutorials!
Today I’m taking a quick break from the INTERNAL genres to look at the PERFORMANCE genre.
Who’s game?!
#StoryGenre
#WritingCommunity
Happy Monday, everyone! Who's ready for the next of #PhilippasTutorials?
Today, we'll be carrying on our exploration of INTERNAL genres, this time turning our attention to the STATUS 🤩🤩🤩 genre, and it's sub-types.
Let's buckle up!
#StoryGenre
#WritingCommunity 1/
Hang on though...
Let's take a step back for a moment and remind ourselves what we are talking about with INTERNAL genres.
INTERNAL genres map *internal character change*.
(EXTERNAL genres like ACTION, CRIME or PERFORMANCE map external situations and events). 2/
INTERNAL and EXTERNAL genres can work together to create a satisfyingly-layered story.
The INTERNAL genre that you choose to combine with your EXTERNAL genre can make a big difference to the "colour" and "flavour" of the main story you're telling. 3/