Hey guys, I’m super excited to participate in the blog tour and giveaway for a new novella collection: Springtime in Surrey: a Wild Blue Wonder Press anthology! And while this is going to be a long post, you’re not going to want to miss any of it…from a guest post by Kellyn Roth to a giveaway this is gonna be an awesome post!.
Over the last week I’ve seen a lot of aesthetics and read one of the stories in the collection and let me tell you, you’re gonna love it!
This collection of novellas, set in County Surrey, England, features both historical and contemporary stories by new and old authors!
Springtime in Surrey contains the follow eight novellas:
Jesus, I Am Resting by Faith Blum
The Cottage on the Hill by Andrea Renee Cox
If I Knew You Were Coming by Bailey Gaines
Her Heart’s Home by Grace A. Johnson
The Tussie-Mussie by Katja H. Labonté
The Odd Duck Society by Rachel Leitch
Fear Not Tomorrows by Erika Mathews
Courage to Stay by Kellyn Roth
Where to Find It
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5QG75DK
Website: https://wildbluewonderpress.com/springtime-in-surrey/
Add it to your TBR stack on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157492074-springtime-in-surrey
Or on Bookbub:
Tips from Editing 7 Novellas (plus my own!) in a Month
Hi there, I’m Kellyn Roth, the founder of Wild Blue Wonder Press and therefore the main organizer of the Springtime in Surrey novella anthology, which features eight Christian women’s fiction stories.
One of my duties for this collection was editing all the novellas in Springtime in Surrey … in a month. (Why did I end up with such a tight deadline? Well, let’s just say I will be more careful with my scheduling in future!)
That was seven novellas, excluding my own which also needed some finishing touches. It was a lot of work, and I nearly didn’t make some deadlines as I’m not truly an editor by career—just a small press author with a lot of random skills. 😛
So without further ado, let me share my best tips from editing 7 novels (plus my own!) in a month.
I created a detailed editing plan.
Before diving into editing, I developed a clear and organized plan. I outlined the key areas I’d focus on, such as plot, characters, pacing, and style. I planned to begin by addressing structural and plot-related issues: looking for plot holes, pacing problems, and inconsistencies in character development. This macro-level editing helped ensure that the foundation of each novella is strong.
Then I went through searching for any major issues with the prose. I knew we’d have an editor to address things and then would do another pass, so I wasn’t too worried about the smaller details, but I still addressed what I could.
I also figured out how much I would have to do every day to get it done in time. Which leads me to my next point …
I set aside some time every day to chip away at the project.
I didn’t try to do it all at once, nor did I try to edit all day, day in and day out. Instead, I set a timer and forced myself to only work on each novella a little each day, accomplishing what I needed to get done, and then taking a break so I didn’t burn out.
Burnout is a very real problem for many authors, and one that isn’t addressed enough. Avoiding it is the only way to keep your creative juices flowing—and not allow yourself to lose your momentum in the long run. That means resting regularly and working on other things from time to time.
I made sure to record my progress so I could see the physical results of my work.
This helps me stay motivated! I’m a big NaNoWriMo kind of author, so using similar trackers and counters to keep track of where I was in the project was vital for me. Plus, that way there was a sense of accomplishment as I worked through each book.
Further, since at that point, all the books were in different documents, I knew how much I had left to do even when I was halfway through one novella with a couple stacked on either side of me.
I always focused on one major thing, and that thing was: how would the author and I work together to turn this project into something great for our collection?
This was the biggest takeaway for me: I needed to make sure not to get lost in the small details and instead focus on what was actually important. I can work with a draft that needs help, but I had to be willing to make the comments and pass them onto the author quickly without nit-picking on every little thing.
A few other miscellaneous notes …
I used Google Docs in “suggesting” mode to make all my comments and then either shared the file directly with the author or downloaded it in Word format depending on the individual writer’s preference.
Other than getting to read all these amazing novellas, I also loved getting to flex my editor muscles. It’s been a while since I’ve done so … and it was great practice given that I’ll be reading everything that Wild Blue Wonder Press endorses or works with for a while!
What was I looking for in these stories?
Well, same as with any quality project, my hope was to suggest changes for improving both the prose and the bigger pieces of the story such as character arcs, plot points, and settings!
In Conclusion …
A lot of it just came down to planning well and working hard. But at the end of the day, would I recommend it? Nope. Not really. At any rate, thank you to Natasha for agreeing to host me on this blog to celebrate the launch of Springtime in Surrey! A lot of hard work has gone into this collection, and I’m so grateful for the support!
~~~
I’m not sure what’s better, that post or the giveaway but I know y’all like winning stuff so drum roll please;)
What about this giveaway, though?!
The authors of Springtime in Surrey are hosting a huge giveaway with not one but two winners—a US winner and an international winner—over the course of the blog tour!
From July 25th to July 31st, follow the tour, commenting on posts, and subscribe to the authors’ newsletters and blogs! The winners will be announced on August 1st and contacted by email!
US Prizes
A print copy of Springtime in Surrey, two bookmarks and a quote sticker, a spring-themed mug, a bookish ornament, a spring-themed candle, an inspirational journal, and tea.
International Prizes
An ebook copy of Springtime in Surrey, two bookmarks and a quote sticker, a gift card, an ebook of choice by Erika Mathews, an ebook from the winner’s Amazon wishlist, an exclusive epilogue of The Tussie-Mussie, and a phone wallpaper.
Rules
Entrants must be 18+ or have parental permission to enter. Two winners—one US and one international—will be randomly selected at the end of the giveaway and contacted by email. The winners must be comfortable sharing their shipping addresses. Any and all information provided through the giveaway will be used only for the purposes stated.
ENTER BELOW:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1956f7e911/?
Feel free to check out Wild Blue Wonder Press on Instagram and Facebook, participate in the social media bookish challenge, or browse the other posts on the blog tour using our …
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, July 24th
Kickoff Post at Lilacs & Reveries
Interview with Katja H. Labonté at Sheep Among Wolves
Interview with Faith Blum at Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Launch Announcement at Writing to Inspire
Interview with Rachel Leitch at Words & Wildflowers
Three-Novella Review at Miraculous Homeschool
Tuesday, July 25th (LAUNCH DAY)
Collection Spotlight at Of Blades and Thorns
Collection Spotlight & Single-Novella Review at Review from the Stacks
Collection Review at Emily Yager
Collection Review at The Book Dragon’s Alcove
Collection Review at Story of a Christian Girl
Wednesday, July 26th
Two-Novella Review at H.S. Kylian
Collection Review at Abbigail B.
“Tips from Editing 7 Novellas in a Month,” a Guest Post by Kellyn at Joyfully Natasha
Collection Review at Imperial Scribis
Thursday, July 27th
“Why We Wrote Stories Set in Surrey,” a Guest Post from Kellyn at A Handful of Quietness
Collection Review at Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Collection Spotlight at Kelsey’s Notebook
Single-Novella Review at Vanessa Hall
Interview with Andrea Renee Cox at Story of a Christian Girl
Friday, July 28th
Two-Novella Review at Read Review Rejoice
Collection Spotlight at Writing to Inspire
Collection Review at Graceful Reflections
“Why I Love Writing Women’s Fiction,” a Guest Post from Kellyn at Abbigail B.
Saturday, July 29th
Collection Review at Saraina Whitney
Collection Review & Collection Spotlight at Little Blossoms for Jesus
“Children’s Books I Drew Inspiration From,” a Guest Post from Kellyn at Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Wrapup Post at Lilacs & Reveries
I’m really excited about this book. I might have to splurge and get it!
Same! I’m thinking about doing that too:)
So fun to see a bit of how this lovely collection came to be! Thank you so much!
Yeah it is! Thanks for reading!!
Thank you so much for participating in the blog tour and sharing my guest post! 😀 It was great having you along for the adventure~
You are very welcome! It was such a great post to read and a lot of fun to participate in!:)
[…] “Tips from Editing 7 Novellas in a Month,” a Guest Post by Kellyn at Joyfully Natasha […]
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