My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe 2 is Done!

Today, I sent Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco to my publisher at Damnation Books.  This book had some challenges, as you know if you've been reading, but as I read it for the final time (backward, no less), I found I really enjoyed it with the changes.  So, while I don't have a lot to say this post, I do want to share the lesson I learned about getting critiquers/beta readers:

1.  Get a wide range of your audience.  It was interesting that the women who read the story liked the romance element and saw Neeta as sensitive and strong, while the guys saw her as weak and whiny.  If I'd only had women crit this, I would not have seen the flaw that would have turned off a big part of my audience.

2.  If doing a series, get readers who have read the previous book, and some who have not.  This was vital for knowing not only that my characters stayed within expectations for those who knew them, but that I explained the world well enough that those who are picking up this book first can understand it well enough to enjoy the story.

3.  If the book isn't right, don't rush it.  Rework and send it out again.

My Novel's Journey: Editing Neeta 2

Yes!  Finally!  I have recovered from the conference, finished my workshops, sent the Catholic school calendar manuscripts (my annual assignment) and cut my to-do list to 77!  That means I could edit Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco!

I had a very interesting reaction from my critiquers concerning Neeta 2.  The ladies loved it, and the guys didn't, even after I fixed the romance.  Obviously, I didn't do enough; the guys still thought Neeta came off as weak and not just troubled.  The ladies who critiqued, however, seemed to get that.  It was a very interesting to see the dichotomy there.

However, I don't want this to be a chick book, so I've spent the past few days "buffing" Neeta up.  There's a new opening chapter where she shows her stuff against a zombie (and where we see a little about why she and Ted are good together.)  However, for the rest, I was able to change a few reactions, add a little thought process, and show a little more of Ted's good qualities. (Aside from being laid back and funny.)

Next, I mapped out all the scenes in order to make sure my pacing was good and that I had enough clues woven in ahead of time.  I may do this again in more detail, but for this time, I just concentrated on zombie appearances, documentary and clues to the climactic invasion.  As a result, I am moving a couple of scenes around and am adding another documentary entry by Gary Opkast. I tried to keep the clues subtle enough to keep folks wondering while clear enough that people would get it when the characters do.  I think I'll have to go back and add a couple of other clues, though I might drop them into conversation instead of another documentary.

Overall, though, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed re-reading it, even after letting it sit a month and mulling over the manuscripts many problems.  I feel pretty confident that with some concentrated effort, I can have this polished in a week or two, maybe while starting on Gapman as well.  I'm not sure the multitasking will hold up, but I do know I need to get back on a schedule after a long break of obsessive project work.