THE BREAKUP STAGE
Even though editing my novel took four years, I was still so excited until I read the published version. It turns out there were parts that had been changed, but I didn’t receive any notice from the editor.
So, my novel was written from a third person’s perspective, but they also participated and provided comments. Perhaps, this isn’t a typical point of view for a novel.
I gave my characters nicknames, for example, at the beginning it was “him,” then it became “CH,” then it became “Chris.” This changed according to the characters’ relationship, which began as strangers and eventually became acquainted. But at the beginning, there was a part of “him” that the editor changed to “Chris.” 😭
I also gave my characters different voices, so some speak formal and some non-formal. I don’t know if the editors understood this, but some readers said the language was inconsistent because there was both formal and non-formal.
There’s a scene from the past in my novel. In the previous chapter, a character is about to read a diary, but I wrote the past scene in a separate chapter in third-person perspective because I imagined it like a flashback in a movie, not a character reading a diary. But in the edited version, the chapter is written like a diary, using formal language. 😭
My character is a high school student and speaks informally. Why is she writing a diary in formal language? Is she writing for herself or for a school assignment? 😭
There was also a scene that was changed, one that might be considered quite dangerous for a young adult novel: the scene where the characters doing a courage challenge on the edge of a cliff.
Perhaps the editing took four years because the editor was unsure how to change my novel. Perhaps the editor felt the story was fine, but the writing style wasn’t typical for a novel.
What I don’t understand is why the editor didn’t contact me so I could change it.
I know my novel isn’t perfect, nor is it particularly good. But it made me think that I don’t want novel writing to be my main profession.
I love writing, and I want to write something I enjoy. I don’t want to be forced to write something I don’t like just to make ends meet.
I also don’t want my work to be changed without my knowledge upon publication. That year I wrote a lot of premises, but after that, I never wrote fiction again.