Two weeks ago I finished rewriting my book Jinx Hill 13. It was midnight and there was no one awake in the house to celebrate this momentous occasion with. Completing this novel made me think of the time and effort I had put into it over the years. I had the inspiration for it in 2002, however it was vastly different from the young adult book that it is today. Its current story line has been set in place since 2006. Yes, it has been that long ago. Jinx came and went, in and out of my life, had major rewrites and edits. At points I had given up on it all together. Then a writer friend of mine told me this winter that instead of me working on a new book he would like to read Jinx Hill 13.
I started to think back. Why I had sat Jinx aside this most recent time? It was after my first son was born, but just prior my identical twin boys who came two years later. Then two years after that my youngest son. That makes sense, I've been busy and distracted.
I searched my computer for Jinx, there it was just as I had left it, in mid edit. Highlights and notes peppered its pages. To re-familiarize myself with the work I began the badly needed rewrites, deletions and edits from the beginning. I was pleasantly surprised with the number of times the story and its characters made me smile, laugh and cry and I mean cry torrents. The characters were strong and well developed. I added more details and cleaned up plot holes.
Throughout the winter, each nap time and any other time I could squeeze in, I focused on it. Then read straight through it three times, doing smaller and smaller edits with each read. Finally, after sixteen years it went from concept to completion. It felt a little strange, unfamiliar and exciting to have it ready for another person to read. In a way it is another child of mine. A being I have created and nurtured. This is a big step to share it with anyone outside of my own mind.
So I sat back and began thinking of who I most wanted to be my honest and trusted beta readers. My husband is one. He loves me but he is brutally honest, extremely inelegant, has been published himself and is well read. I have asked one young adult reader, who is very well read, related to me, honest and ranks highly in her class. Today I asked my third beta reader, who is also published, well read and enjoys this genre. So to the hand full of beta readers, I send you all an enormous thank you! Thank you for your honesty, your enthusiasm and your upcoming and forthright feedback. Here is to sending Jinx out into the world, wish her luck.
J L Cooper
PS And a special thanks to Brian B. King for inspiring me to pick Jinx back up and finish her. I will be hitting you up soon to beta for me after I clean up any edits with my first round beta readers.
I started to think back. Why I had sat Jinx aside this most recent time? It was after my first son was born, but just prior my identical twin boys who came two years later. Then two years after that my youngest son. That makes sense, I've been busy and distracted.
I searched my computer for Jinx, there it was just as I had left it, in mid edit. Highlights and notes peppered its pages. To re-familiarize myself with the work I began the badly needed rewrites, deletions and edits from the beginning. I was pleasantly surprised with the number of times the story and its characters made me smile, laugh and cry and I mean cry torrents. The characters were strong and well developed. I added more details and cleaned up plot holes.
Throughout the winter, each nap time and any other time I could squeeze in, I focused on it. Then read straight through it three times, doing smaller and smaller edits with each read. Finally, after sixteen years it went from concept to completion. It felt a little strange, unfamiliar and exciting to have it ready for another person to read. In a way it is another child of mine. A being I have created and nurtured. This is a big step to share it with anyone outside of my own mind.
So I sat back and began thinking of who I most wanted to be my honest and trusted beta readers. My husband is one. He loves me but he is brutally honest, extremely inelegant, has been published himself and is well read. I have asked one young adult reader, who is very well read, related to me, honest and ranks highly in her class. Today I asked my third beta reader, who is also published, well read and enjoys this genre. So to the hand full of beta readers, I send you all an enormous thank you! Thank you for your honesty, your enthusiasm and your upcoming and forthright feedback. Here is to sending Jinx out into the world, wish her luck.
J L Cooper
PS And a special thanks to Brian B. King for inspiring me to pick Jinx back up and finish her. I will be hitting you up soon to beta for me after I clean up any edits with my first round beta readers.
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