Back in My Court

I really only asked them if they would read my book, comment on any errors or holes that jumped out, and give me their impression of the story. And most importantly, because it's a murder mystery, I wanted to know if they were able to figure out who dunnit before I had intended the reveal to happen.

Instead, I received thorough and constructive edits from both of my friends.

I chose my readers well. One is an avid reader and a fan of mysteries. He was an engineer throughout his career but I think he missed his calling. He's asked some great questions, pointed out a couple of inconsistencies, and made some technical observations that I had clearly missed.

I've known my other friend since our days together in journalism school—more than 40 years ago. Even back then, I recognized her keen eye for detail and inquisitive mind, and her editing skills were put to full use (mind you, I didn't ask for a full edit but we editors just can't help ourselves). Seeing the work that she put into the book, I know that she's made the story a whole lot better.

Yesterday, she and I met for lunch to discuss more of Dark Water and I gained more insight into her thoughts on the book. She was able to point out something that not only I missed in writing—I screwed up a bunch of dates—but that no one else who has read my manuscript has noticed.

Image: Perplexity

The ball is now back on my side of the court. I'll be spending this week going over all of the feedback that I've received from my friends and implementing it where I agree with the proposed changes. And I agree with a lot of the suggestions.

And then, I'll read through the novel from beginning to end and make the decision about whether Dark Water is finally ready to submit to a publisher.

Yesterday was my self-imposed deadline but I'm not disappointed that I'll be a couple of days beyond that. If my friends had simply read the book without doing their heavy editing, I would have likely submitted a lesser manuscript. Instead, they've gone above and beyond, and have helped me tighten up this story into something that I can be proud of presenting.

I won't mention the names of my friends in this post. They know who they are. I'll save my true thanks for the acknowledgement section that I will add to the book when it's ready to be published.

And at that point, I'll also add it here, where a lot of my writing ends up.