Sharing My Story and Getting Edits from My Publisher
The day arrived, the unread email lit up on my phone. It was from the editor, she had read my first round of my story and her critiques were there for me to analyze. Becoming an author was always a dream, but honestly, one that I never felt I would dare to achieve. Sharing my story with my community is an honor, but one that is filled with vulnerability and leaves me open to critique. I knew my first draft was far from perfect, it was rushed, and contained pieces of my story, but needed a lot of work. I was both anxious to hear the critique and excited to refine my story. I spent the next week reading through the edits and sitting with them to develop a plan to move forward.
I didn't know where to start, so I decided to start with the easy fixes, all the grammar edits. Once those were out of the way, I started at the beginning and slowly worked my way through the essay seeing what edits I was willing to change, and which ones I needed more time to reflect on. I have spend more time re-writing this draft than I think I did on the original story.
I was expecting the publisher to come back and tell me to pick just one story and focus on it, but they understood the progression of the story I was trying to tell and why it was all critical to the final ending of the story.
For the first time in this writing process, I feel confident about what I am sharing with the community. If you had asked me two weeks ago to read my story aloud, I honestly don't think I would have had the confidence to do so. But now, I am excited to share my story. It feels complete, authentic, and true to myself and my family.
The story will be published in May, 2023 and I cannot wait to keep sharing this journey with you.
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