Wednesday, April 05, 2006

BOM: The Editing




The editing process for Magdalene was unusually smooth--and it's a good thing, because this was a RUSH project. Before I handed the book in, I'd had help from Terri Gillespie, whom I met at a writing conference in Philly a couple of years ago. Terri and I share a love for Isra'el, and she helped me check out several Hebrew phrases I wanted to use. Best of all, she steered me toward the Jewish Bible, which enabled me to add a truly Jewish flavor to Miryam's story. After all, Miryam and Yeshua and all his followers were Jewish. Terri was a HUGE help--she read two drafts of the manuscript and help me catch things before the book ever went to my editors. She also opened my Gentile eyes to a couple of things I'd never realized before.

After I handed the book in (on time!) , I received a phone call from Becky Nesbit, the acquiring editor from Tyndale. She told me she liked it. "And?" I asked, bracing for the worst. (I always brace for the worst; it's instinctive.) "I liked it," she said again (and I'm paraphrasing). "Dave has some comments, of course, but I thought it was a good story."

So I figured the really hard-to-swallow stuff would come in my Lambert Letter (Dave is famous for writing lengthy, single-spaced editorial letters. With subheadings.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that Dave only mentioned a few things--issues I've already discussed in this blog. Namely--watch the familiar Bible stories and make sure Miryam doesn't have knowledge beyond her time. I'm sure he mentioned other small things, but those were the two key issues I remember.

After I made Dave's suggested changes, the book went through copy editing at Tyndale. Lori Popp, the copy editor, sent me an email with several queries--many of which were good catches of small errors. She asked if I really wanted to have Jesus disappear behind a bush (the implication being that he had to relieve himself) after a long day in the sun, and I said yes, I did. I wanted to do this small thing to illustrate that he was fully human as well as fully God. She accepted my reasons and agreed that the situation was handled tactfully. (If you'll recall, I also quizzed you blog readers about if you'd find the thought objectionable.)

And that was it--the book came through the editing process looking brighter and better without major surgery. That's not always the case with a manuscript, but it is always a blessing.

P.S. What do you think about the "talking head" above? I've gone a little crazy here and on my web pages. I think she's cute, but I'm worried that she is a little too cutsey . . . what do you think?

Tomorrow: Reader Reaction

~~Angie

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lol - I like the talking head! Cute but not too cute. At first I wondered if it was a glitch in my CD - then realized, no, just a lady trying to talk over top of United!
I can't wait to start reading this book Angie. In fact, it arrived at the store recently, so when I was at work today I had to buy it since you've been talking about it. Then what do you know - I get home and what's in the mail? One of the free copies that Tyndale sent out! Wonderful! I guess they decided us Canadian folks were worth the extra postage!
Kristine

Anonymous said...

I like her!

Anonymous said...

Whoa! The talking head kind of took me by surprise! The volume was up a bit high on my laptop,so her announcement made me jump! I had already scrolled down the page a bit and didn't see her, so I wasn't sure where the voice was coming from. It had been a long day at work, so hearing strange voices is not impossible! :-)
When I finally found her, she kind of creeped me out a little. Seemed like she was following me around. then I realized she was! Follows that little cursor wherever it goes. What a hoot! Now that I know she plays nice, I guess she's okay. I know we're to "expect the unexpected" with your stuff, but next time, a little warning would be good for the blood pressure! :-)

Anonymous said...

I think she's a hoot, but she'll get old after a few weeks :)

Anonymous said...

I had no problem with that.

Anonymous said...

I like her accent and I had a lot of fun moving the cursor around and watching her eyes roll, I even made her look at her nose....you know, I think I need a vacation LOL

Anonymous said...

Angie -- I was one of the fortunate ones who got the "pre-pub" copy of Magdalene, and I finished reading it within a few days of receiving it a week or so ago. It was fabulous. The way you handled the events of the last few chapters, in particular . . . . It's hard to imagine you could have written it in the time frame you described, because it is so well written. Must be a God thing.

The talking head caught me by surprise when it started talking, but I just lowered the volume. Her comment gave me something to think about, but I agree with another response that the talking head probably will get a little old after awhile.

Thank you!