Becoming a Book

French edition of Just Desserts~
April 2013

I received  the revision notes from my editor late last week. She had excellent suggestions for the areas that needed work and actually liked one part that I thought needed tweaked.  I love a second pair of eyes. Now I have until the end of May to get this book into its almost final form.

In case you've wondered about the process that goes into shaping a book from start to finish, here it is:

1) I write the synopsis of a story that’s bouncing around in my head, along with three sample chapters, and submit them to my editor. If she likes the project, she sends it on to the senior editor and if she likes it, then I get a contact. I set the due date for the first draft. I always think I’ve factored in tons of extra time, but invariably something happens (hot water tank explodes or something of that nature) or I get hung up on one part of the book and write it and rewrite it and rewrite it, instead of moving on, and the deadline comes barreling up on me. I somehow get done.

2) My editor reads the book and then sends me notes about what revisions she thinks are necessary to strengthen the story. I’ve been through this process enough that I usually know the weak areas and work on them while I wait for my editor’s notes. Sometimes, though, something comes out of left field, such as “this character isn’t working”. This happened to my hero named Rex. My advice—don’t name a hero Rex unless he’s a dog. I renamed Rex and the new character acted differently and worked much better. Names matter.

3) I revise over the course of several weeks and send in the revisions. The editor then does a line edit,

Once a Champion hits the shelves
in June.

where she reads and edits the manuscript line by line. My manuscripts are 85K or around 375 pages, so she has some reading ahead of her. Then she sends the line edits to me and I go over the manuscript line by line reviewing the changes. I send my changes back to her.

4) Finally, I get a PDF of the book in its semi-final form to proof read. This is my last chance to change anything. After that, the book goes into production. Six months later it’s on the shelves.

Revisions: No End in Sight

The Writing

I should get my editor's notes soon and that will probably send me in a different direction than I'm going right now. It's amazing what another pair of eyes can do for the process. Meanwhile, I'm writing away, raising the stakes, increasing tension, generally torturing my characters and having a good time.

The Sewing

I'm still working on the 80s summer dress, which is fine, since the weather has taken a turn for the worse and I don't think I'll wear it until next week at the earliest. I was hoping the apricot blossoms would be on the tree for the photos, but they've been deeply offended by cold. Maybe there'll still be few this weekend.

I’m a silk organza underlining newbie, so I wasn’t certain what to do about the organza feeling all prickly and itchy at the unfinished edges of the sleeve and where I trimmed the darts. I decided to try to encase the seams in bias tape. I was concerned that it might add bulk to the sleeve area, but it didn’t. If anything it seemed to support the area.  I also enclosed the trimmed darts and, violà, no more itchy edges. I've probably broken some sewing rule, but it works.

I hung my dress for 48 hours so that the bias part of the skirt would stretch before hemming (rather than after). As you can see the bias stretched almost three inches.

I did, however, run into one small problem while hemming *sigh*. Do you see where the pink lace hem tape ends? And guess who didn't have another package?

Talk about a rookie error. For the record, even though 3 yards of hem tape sounds like enough to hem one summer dress, check measurements before starting to sew. 

This hemming cloud turned out to have a silver lining, however.  My local variety store didn't have this color of hem tape, so I ordered the tape online. To justify the cost of postage (which was more than the cost of the tape) I had to add additional items to my cart. I so love adding additional items to my cart. I bought covered button kits and a zipper and four yards of daffodil yellow Bemberg to line the 60’s coat and shift I plan to make next. 

Since the coat fabric is nectarine, one of the Pantone Spring 2013 colors, I now have to enter the Sewing Pattern Review Pantetone Color Contest, right?  I hadn't planned to enter because I had no lining. Problem solved thanks to not checking the length of my hem tape before starting to sew.

The contest deadline is April 30^th, but I think I can get a coat and a shift done by that time.  Wish me luck. Another deadline. Yay!

Revisions: Sewing and Writing

The Writing/Sewing
It's revision time. Revisions are my favorite part of writing and my least favorite part of sewing. I think that's because in sewing, there's a chance of getting it right the first time. That rarely happens in writing.

As I think about it, though, people who design patterns go through the same process as writers--they come up with an idea, attempt to execute it, analyze, tweak--or in some cases throw the entire project out and start over--then analyze, tweak again, etc, until it's right. I guess the pattern drafters and designers take care of that first draft and it's up to us to revise to fit our personal situation.

One thing I've learned about writing is to not get too carried away with details in the first draft because there is an excellent chance that I'll have to toss all those details out when I change or cut scenes. I have yet to learn that lesson in sewing. When I made the 80s summer dress this week, I was so happy with the muslin that I decided to do some of the finishing work before trying on the final draft. I neglected to think about soft drapy rayon challis being a wee bit different than crisp ironed muslin. So I confidently under stitched facings and tacked them down as I went. I even sewed the back neck facing to the organza underlining. Thank goodness I didn't put in the twelve buttonholes.

When I tried on the dress and realized that I had to take in the sides a good half inch and that the neckline was awkwardly high (I still don't know how that happened) I really wished I'd saved those finishing details for later, like I do when I write. I also really wish I'd taken photos, but it was 10 pm and I was in the Ack! Must fix immediately! phase of my process. I got out the quick unpick--I just learned that term from Sewaholic and love it--and started unpicking.the stitching on the facings. One thing led to another and I finished fixing the sides and the neckline around 11 pm. Then I thought about photos. Maybe that's the writer coming out in me. I rarely let anyone see my struggles on paper. I fix them and then let people read my words.

So that's where I am--revising the book and redoing the finishing details that I shouldn't have done in the first place on my dress. I'll post photos soon.

Sewing For Victory 40’s Suit ~ Jumping Ahead to the Last Chapter

The Writing

I handed in the first draft of my book on Tuesday after finally hitting the proper level of desperation. The first draft is always difficult. I'm concerned about pacing, concerned about being too predictable, concerned that the story won't come together. But it came together and now it's in my editor's hands. I'm revising as I wait for her notes, and since I have a framework in which to operate--as in a completed story--I'm now a happy writer. I also have time to sew. (And do laundry.)

The Sewing

This is what my Sew For Victory 40's suit looked like on Tuesday:

And, with a little help from the cat,

this is what it looks like today, Sunday, the final day of the Sew For Victory challenge:

I learned so much making this suit--I used silk organza as an underlining for the first time, make my first bound buttonholes, discovered that color blocking is unforgiving. But more about that later. I made deadline on my suit, as well as the book, and I'm going to celebrate with a cup of tea while I plan my next dress. I'm thinking 80s summer dress.