Wyndano’s Cloak, By A. R. Silverberry
Manuscript Revision: Clarity Trumps Style!
The beta reads are in, the manuscript is revised, and book one of my YA, sci-fi trilogy is in the hands of a content editor. The responses of the beta readers were positive (I believe the verb love was used three times!). Still, there were spots, and I agonized over them. The novel had gone through five drafts by then. The flow of the prose was pretty well set. It’s hard to integrate new information without disrupting the rhythm and pacing of the story.
Clarity trumps style (my new pet phrase), so I gritted my teeth and worked and worked until I had solved the problems that were there. Funny thing, the section I slaved over the most was not something a beta reader pointed out. It was something that jumped out at me as I looked over the manuscript. Bear in mind that I’d pretty much finished it in July, 2014. But I hadn’t looked at it for over a year. It’s actually good to let something sit. You see it with fresh eyes. That’s what happened here. I needed to foreshadow events to come. I came up with dozens of alternative possibilities for how to do that. When I had narrowed them down, I read them to my wife. She hated all of them and liked what I originally had written. We were pretty much done with the conversation. (I could see it on her face!) Almost as an aside, I read her something I’d played with for an earlier spot. As I read it, I felt a chill go through me. It worked. She was stunned and told me it absolutely HAD to be included. So there it is; there it will stay.
In other news, I did my first video interview. Unfortunately, the Giveaway is over, but I introduce the real A. R. Silverberry, share some of my favorite quotes, and read an excerpt from “Wyndano’s Cloak.” Many thanks to Book Nerd Paradise for having me. Here’s the link!
Thank you all for your loyalty! I’ll keep you posted on how the edits are going, and we can collectively cross our fingers that an agent picks up the project. If not, no sweat. I’ll get it to you anyway!
The Stream, a Shelf Unbound Notable Book
The Stream, by A. R. Silverberry
