Whilst stories and ideas tumble around in my head for the third instalment of Inside Evil, the editing process continues with gusto for the new science fiction title. Whilst a name is still to be confirmed, I’m making good process. About 10,000 words got edited today, and I’m about 50k in – just another half to go. The end of the novel also has to be finished. Like Inside Evil, I wrote this story over several years and have therefore become distanced from the work so am having to reacquaint myself with the characters through a first general edit so that I can tie the end of the novel up nice and neatly. I’ll need to write/rewrite about 10 – 20 thousand words to complete the book, at which time another edit will be needed. But, what is my editing process?

When I read through a manuscript I do  make punctuation and grammar changes, but I leave the majority of this work to my proofer. She’s there to call me out on bad words, questionable sentences and a host of spelling mistakes, missed words and comma misplacements (the latter, I know, I’m pretty awful with). My main focus for an edit is to ensure that the story flows, to make sure that a character’s inner voice doesn’t get too annoying. ‘CRYO’ sees an ordinary man win the trip of a lifetime, a chance to start again in a fresh and new world. He’s disillusioned with the current state of his dying Earth, and sets off to find a new utopia. One area that I’ve been battling with in this work is my protagonist’s whinge.  Yes, he hates the world, he wants to leave, he wants a better life. But, there’s a careful balance between expressing his thoughts and making readers want to throttle the bugger.

I’m excited about getting this novel out there, and the current timeline will probably see the final manuscript having a second edit during Oct, proofing during Nov and publication in early Dec. Then I’ll get back to Inside Evil and start formulating the increasing wad of notes around my house into a sensible story! But, for now, here’s the first 250 of my WIP (subject to change – of course):

Title: TBC

The sales assistant, a gangly and short youngster with a metallic silver tattoo beading its way through his eyebrows, stared over the counter, open mouthed and wide eyed. John’s pupils dilated, his skin became momentarily flushed. Excitement, anticipation, disbelief; his face expressed it all. Wednesday morning, 12 minutes past 10, nothing had been planned for today, nothing was supposed to happen or to have happened, but in the cashier’s hand was something that could change everything. No, it would change everything.

Time had slowed to a grinding halt. John’s mind contorted as it tried to process this split second in time, trying to stop itself from exploding due to the multitude of mixed of emotions that John was feeling at this precise and tiny moment in time. Emotion seeped through his veins, pumping his heart with power, a deep resonating booming in his chest that he was sure the whole world could hear. Minute sweat beads began to form on John’s temple, his skin flushed, causing every hair on his body to become aroused. Around him people were shopping, laughing, living, queuing, fighting, crying, and in the midst of it he stood silent, an ordinary chap, on an ordinary day, with one extra unordinary feeling.