Changing the way I do it.

I sat down and started going through the proof copy of book two of the series. As I sat there with my trusty red ballpoint pen in hand, I had an epiphany. Instead of flipping frantically through the book as I look at the document on the computer screen to make sure that my changes are in the right places, I can note down what changes need made by chapter, page, and line. Cue my grabbing a stenographer's notebook (with a bright red cover for lulz) and a mess of pens.

As I was looking at the stenographer notebook, it struck me that not only could I be noting edits to text but what ever format changes to the document at large. I think I am going to color code my changes with different pens. I may save red for changes to the text specifically (ie replacing misspelled names and such) and use blue for format changes. I have a very bright light blue pen that I can put to work on this. I am pretty sure I have enough ink left to get through the whole book. A part of me feels bad about marking up the proof. I tell myself, however, that this is what the proof is for.

My goal is to get all the final edits (which I thought I had completed already) done and the new version of book two up in the next two weeks. My target date for having it available with all corrections made is the last Monday of July. I will also be working on the second set of line edits on book three over the next two months (in between running the kids around to summer school stuff and all that). I am also working on getting all of my rough character sketches penned and in my card file. I am still at the beginning of the heroes right now. (It is a kind of long list, to be honest.)

I have seemed to have written myself into something of a hole right now on book seven. I've been taking a break over the last few weeks as I try to figure out how to resolve that plot hole. I am thinking that I need to sit down and read some fantasy to look at how other authors have tackled some of the plot problems that come up. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.