Friday, May 20, 2011

Proofreading: A Tale of Horror

You guys, there is something really, really scary lurking in my house right now.

It...

Is...

THIS.

That pile of pages is my typeset manuscript. It's been edited, it's been copyedited, it's been formatted and now...IT WAITS...

...for me to proofread it.

I haven't read this book in about three months. Truth be told, I haven't even thought about this story much since I've been immersed in writing the first draft (shudder) of another one. And this is my final chance to read and change anything before the ARCs go to print.

Let me just reiterate the terrifying words in that expository paragraph: final and first draft. Did I mention FINAL?! For a notorious reviser like me (hello 26 drafts), I can't even imagine the horrors of what I'll find in there. What if I hate it? What if I want to change Chapter 2 for the 14th time? What if I realize that by this time next year this will go out into the world and I will have to go into hiding from mortification?

I think I might have to pull a Joey Tribbiani and put this puppy in the freezer for a little while.

Although, I did stop screaming long enough to snap this shot of the first page. Look at the cool crop marks and other indecipherable printer's notes (not to mention the lovely design and font which I still can't get over).



</freakout>

</geekout>

Ha! Who am I kidding? The geekout will never end, no matter what HTML says.

11 comments:

  1. Daaamn, you're releasing April next year and you've got typesets already? Your editors work FAST!

    Congrats! :D

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  2. I can't argue with you there. My editor is pretty much amazing in every way possible. :-)

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  3. Lovely! And congratulations!

    And I laughed at "I think I might have to pull a Joey Tribbiani and put this puppy in the freezer for a little while." I'm constantly threatening "bad" books(defined as ones that scare me or make me cry too much) with the freezer.

    Enjoy the pages!

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  4. OMC!! That is so awesome.

    The final-ness really freaks me out. O_O

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  5. Eeeeeee!!!! (That is a Harry Potter World worthy screech, by the way :-P)

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  6. Actually, every time I look at the thing, spooky music starts to emanate from the pages. It's pretty awesome.

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  7. I'm going to be in this boat very soon. That puts me right there with you in the freakout camp.

    PS: LOVE your chapter-number icon-thingies!

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  8. Thanks, all!

    Emily, I'm too much of a wuss to read real horror books, but if I did, that's where they'd be!

    Jillian, I love them too!

    Jenny, that is a big EEEEE!

    Jodi, thanks for being my buddy in freaking out.

    Graig, I'm not coming home this weekend.

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  9. This is so awesome. Put it in the freezer. Then take it out once. Read it. Put it in the fridge, take it out, make any SMALL revisions, and then send it back :)

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  10. I am so excited for you… I would say at this point, its typos and minor adjustment that needs to be made don’t go crazy.
    I love the look of the first page… I can see how the geek-out will never end.

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  11. OMG THAT IS SO FREAKING COOL. I CAN'T STOP CAPS LOCKING EVEN IF I WANTED TO.

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