My Book is in Copy Edits… Now What?

Yep, that’s right. My debut novel, WAKE, is getting into its final shape. It’s been handed off to the fantastic copy editors at Simon & Schuster, and I feel like I’ve sent out my story to get fixed up for the prom.

I’ve worked on this story, loved it and lived within it, since I first got the idea in 2010. The boy’s journey has meandered a lot over the years, changed and deepened, although the main story has always been the same. But now, that journey is set, carved into the stone that will become the book, and the copy editors are going through every chip and cut to make sure it’s properly polished.

In the meantime, I’ve got another story in my head, calling me, teasing me, daring me to just try and do it justice—because after all, with every tale, there’s no guarantee.

I’ve been playing with this idea for a few months, actually. The idea danced into my head while I was working on revisions for WAKE for my editor at Paula Wiseman Books. I opened a new Word doc, typed up the notes and saved them in my NewIdeas folder on my computer. Then I let the idea play in the background.

Now that I’ve got a break, I’m bringing out that New Shiny Idea and am suddenly filled with excitement and trepidation. I found my notes in my NewIdeas folder, and thought it was time the New Shiny Idea got a folder of its own, which thrilled me to no end.

This might seem silly. It’s just a folder. In a computer.

But for me, making that folder is the first step in this idea’s journey to becoming a full story and book. It’s my commitment to honor these characters, with all their problems and flaws and hopes and dreams, and to not stop until I’ve written it the best way that I can. This folder will hold all my research, my first draft, my second, all my drafts and notes and character profiles and inspirational images and more. It will be New Shiny Idea’s home for the rest of its life…until it’s handed over to a publisher. I want to make sure that home is pretty and warm and comfortable. I want New Shiny Idea to love working with me.

So, please welcome New Shiny Idea to the world. It’s small and smooshy right now, just a spark of what it could become. But I pledge that I’ll do whatever I can to give it the best life possible.

How do you welcome your new ideas?