By the time you’ve written your story, rewritten it, edited it and re-edited it, it just feels like something isn’t right with it, or that it’s crap. That is how I felt when I finally sent Second-Hand Daughter off to my editor in February. I was pleased to see the back of it.

Then I spent weeks wondering if the editor was liking it or having to drag herself through pages of mud, just to edit the story (hopefully she would have said as much as not continued editing) but of course, that is what you think.

Then you get an email from your editor with this little gem – “I’m on track to have your edited manuscript back to you by Friday. What a great story – very emotional and intense! I’m enjoying it so much.”

Which is great to start with, but then you start to wonder if she actually means that. And whether she’s just trying to be nice.

And when the manuscript arrives back, there is this note on it. “I thought the overall arc of Peyton and Sylvia’s character and relationship development was done extremely well! I absolutely love how close they are a year after … and how Peyton found what could be considered her real family. Just excellent!“

And then I went into the manuscript, and I was blown away. There are a few changes to make, but other than that, it seems that I have an actual story that people may actually enjoy. And so now, I’m at the excitement stage of fixing the problems and getting it ready to publish on 31 May 2024!

It’s surprising how you can write something, edit it within a hair’s width of its life, hate it, and it comes back polished and shiny and new. I wish I had more faith in myself, but it seems I’m not the only writer who thinks a story is stink once they’ve sent it off to the editor!

How’s your week been? Have you had an exciting moment happen?

Take care

Catherine