I have been recently waiting on JP to
finish up with the editing of the first draft of the Cover of
Darkness. That is the first wait. She is an editor with a great deal
to do, which I don't mind. I love the fact that she is prolific
actually. She also does a bang up job with my editing, which is
desirable to me. So she told me that she would be starting up on
working on my book again on the first of October. This was in
September. Okay, what can I say to that other than to be patient.
She'll start on it in two weeks. Alright, October rolls around and in
the middle of October I get an email from her that says now that she
will not be able to start work on my manuscript until the first of
November because of her present responsibilities.
Now this is somewhat troubling to me.
Here it is that I was told that I was given a date to start, after
she started once. Then I'm told that I have to make due with another
start date. I'm a very literal person, and if someone says that they
will give me something on this date, and they don't. Then that's
called a breach of contract. Then if they change the terms and tell
me they'll give me something on another date, how can I not doubt the
veracity of the person? Will they give me what I want?
I don't know.
Now, it is true that I did say that we
will follow JP's timetable because she was too busy to take on my
project from the very beginning. I agreed to this, so this is the overarching contract. But
she made the terms to the sub-contract that was breached. So here I
am, waiting, now, a full month, with nothing from my editor.
So, what should a writer do? Well, when
given time, a writer should write. Period. So I went ahead and
started working on revisions. Here's the thing: JP had finished the
first 40 pages of my manuscript and sent it to me with the admonition
not to go ahead and re-edit it before she finishes with the entire
manuscript. Well, I did follow this advice until the middle of
October, then I went ahead and made my massive changes per her notations in her edit.
The reason why I did this was because I
had finished with the third book of the trilogy, Pale of Darkness. I
moved on and did what I had initially set out to do, which is
complete the third book before having to go back and re-edit the
first. Well, here I go. I finish so what actually is there left to
do? Re-edit the first. Therefore I went ahead and made my
changes...and finished it. So now what? What do I do now? Can you
believe that I've started the FOURTH installment of the series? Cries
of Darkness. I pray that I don't finish a fourth book before I get
work back from my editor.
But I'm not harping on her, maligning
her, or complaining about her. She does a good job, it's just that I
feel that my work has been relegated to the bottom of the barrel.
Further, what are my chances, as the year closes out, that on the
first of November I will get an email from JP stating that because of
her workload my manuscript will be edited on the first of December?
It happened before, it can happen again, as many businessmen will
tell you. If you have a tenant paying rent, and they stop paying for
one month, what are your chances that it will be repeated the second
month? Unknown, but possible. That's why in business, all you have
are you balls and your word. If you give up either...well you get my
drift.
On top of this, I have a master plan in
the weeks ahead. I would like JP to finish her edit, so that I can
make the needed changes. Then I want to give it to another editor
that I've found, LV for a final edit. While LV is doing the final
edit, I want to see if JP will be amenable to undertaking the task of
editing my sequel. This is another reason why I am patient with her,
because I want to stay in her good graces. Yes, I am the one over the
barrel, I'll admit to that. So the ball is in her court. I can only hope
that she is a more conscientious businesswoman than editor. When does
it become evident that to continue relegating my work to last place
because I have a softer deadline is simply unfair?
However, I have not been just sitting
on my laurels. I've moved ahead, as you well know and started working
with Damon on the cover of the book. This is a good thing, I'm
urgently needing this book cover to start the rest of my marketing.
With the completed book cover, I can then move forward with the web
pages.
So I'm waiting for that. I'm waiting
and waiting, and now, on top of the manuscript, I'm waiting on the
book cover. Damon also has a soft deadline, meaning, I have to be
patient. His web site swears on a fast two day or three day
turnaround, and it's been five now and no word. So I guess I'll have
to wait again for the product of another professional.
I have to learn to exercise patience.
I've waited a year to finish the work, what's a few months more? I also would like to advise you that if you have soft deadlines, or no deadlines at all, you are at the mercy of the person that is working for you. Be really ready to be patient, or you'll just tear your own hair out. If you want a deadline, you had better make it clear. But here's the thing: With expediency do you lose creativity? Do you want someone to do a slapdash job just to get your work out of the way on time? That's the question.
Well back to the beginning. It's a waiting
game, and it appears that you need to sit on your hands, even though
I'm chomping at the bit to move ahead with my marketing of the book
if not the book itself.
Well, since I'm in a holding pattern
in every direction I turn, what's a writer to do?
Write.
Cries of Darkness...I know it was
supposed to be a trilogy, but, here goes nothing.
Gregory Delaurentis
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