September 18

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Book Update: Manuscript Has Left The Building

By Odyssa

September 18, 2021


My manuscript is complete. Hours of review, editing, re-reading, formatting are finally over. For now. 

The proper work comes after I receive feedback from my editor. At least I get a week's rest from not thinking and reviewing my work. It's given me headaches that immediately put me to sleep. 

One scorching afternoon in Roxas City in 2012. A sizeable chunk of the book was written between 2012 to 2013. Photo by the author.

I'm just relieved to have passed the ball to someone else. 

In this early part of creating the book, there were several writing lessons that I remembered and tried to apply as much as possible:

1. Avoid using adverbs or at least minimize them. “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” That's what Stephen King said in his book On Writing

2. Use the active voice rather than the passive voice. Most writing tools suggest this often. 

3. Editing usually takes more time than writing. 

Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.
—Larry L. King

4. Stop using 'that' too often. Most of the time, it's unnecessary. 

5. Use a semi-colon between two statements that can stand as sentences. For example: I like the Philippines; the beaches are magnificent. 

I highly recommend Dr. Clare Lynch's courses on uDemy. She's a great (online) teacher. 

For now I can read to my heart's content, watch Kdrama and wait! 

I was updating my parents about my book today. Mama said "you should have done it sooner". Mothers know best. 


Odyssa publishes stories in Medium. Be a Medium member by clicking here. To subscribe to her stories by email, click this. Want to support her writing? Buy her coffee here.

Odyssa

About the author

Odyssa is a writer from the Philippines. She is the author of Like A New Sun Rising: A Collection of Poems on Love. When not working or writing at home, she's out walking their dogs. She enjoys traveling, practices yoga, gets lost in books and Korean drama. To her, making time for a daily practice or ritual is the best gift to one's self.

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