Happy Spring! In March, The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace turned “1”. Looking back, it’s been a jammed packed year of book launches, book gatherings, Book Club meetings and bookstore appearances. Thank you to everyone who has helped through this journey. I so appreciate the support of friends, family, and the wider book community. And to my Book Ambassadors, who from the start jumped in with ideas and support – thank you!
“How’s your 3rd book coming along?” is a frequent question. The answer: it’s coming along well. While my first and second book were written over 5 months and one year, respectively, I’m not in a rush with this third book. I’ve learned authors can take two to five years to complete their work, and some much longer. I’m finding that while the story line is still in place, the editing process (now on Draft #7) is creating more vivid characters, plot twists, setting and mood. With the help of feedback from my group of draft readers at the end of last year, and now guidance from Dinah Forbes, an experienced editor and teacher at U of T, my novel is growing up! I’m now hoping to complete it by the fall, and then seek how best to turn it into a book.
What I’ve learned from Editors
Over the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to learn about editing from professional editors, friends and readers. As a novice, I’ve been a sponge. “I didn’t know that,” has frequently slipped out of my mouth. The following are some Key Points learned from Editors of my three novels.
From Kim Shannon during the editing of The Girlfriend Book:
(Yes Kim, I’d call you one of my Editors for this first book!)
• Be careful not to overweight a moment – The Girlfriend Book took place over 30 years, however my 2020 section was full of Covid experiences, likely because I was writing during Covid and they were fresh in my mind. Kim suggested I tone it down, so it didn’t take over. Cutting back made it better.
• As characters age, be true to how their bodies change – 3 women in their 30’s might share one large room in a B&B, but by the time they’re 50 or 60, wouldn’t there be a snorer in their midst? True. A second room was added.
• Readers like a “bad guy” – I disliked Kenneth, an evil character, and so he appeared briefly at first. But Kim explained a reader would want more of him. I expanded his role. Kenneth became an even more intriguing character to hate! And now I’m comfortable giving evil characters more air time in my novels.
From Chloe Robinson, during the editing of The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace:
• Too many characters confuse a reader – I removed a number of characters, and removed names of some of the minor ones. Apparently, when we read a name, we think we need to remember that character for the story ahead. If the character never appears again, it’s pointless to add that complexity.
• Characters are best to have names that start with different letters – Originally in my novel, over half of my character’s names began with the letter “M”. For example – Mary, Michael, Margaret etc. It’s better to have a Flora, Henry and Margaret, so the reader can better tell them apart.
• A Protagonist can hear about a ghost, but if they meet one the novel’s genre changes to “Supernatural” – We nixed my chapter where Sophie met the ghost, replacing it with her hearing about the ghost from others.
• “Show” with dialogue and action, versus “tell” – Instead of trying to rush through the story by writing They discussed what had happened when they were younger, it’s better to make up the dialogue of that conversation and edit it so it’s concise and adds layers into the story. Similarly, instead of telling the reader that a character is tired, it’s better to describe a yawn or the rubbing of eyes.
• Did that chapter move the story forward? – If not, cut it out, or add fragments into other chapters. While it’s tough to cut out writing I might have spent days on, it’s liberating too… like cleaning up a messy room.
• Short chapters are good. – Readers love them and move on to the next!
From Dinah Forbes, during the editing of Book #3
• Mood is created with setting – have some description, but don’t over do it.
• Let information gradually seep out about characters – when a character is introduced, we don’t have to know everything about them. Let key parts “drip” in as the chapters progress.
• Description of a character – focus on one or two key features and let the reader imagine the rest.
• Drama is a sequence of fortunately and unfortunately – eg. Fortunately he found the missing money, unfortunately he now had a target on his back. This pattern keeps momentum and interest.
And this final one from Dinah I found fascinating and now look for in books as I read:
• Usually the first character you meet is the Protagonist – If you introduce a secondary character first, the reader may be disappointed if they’ve latched on to them and the character disappears or doesn’t play a major role. This was news to me. In Book #3, my protagonist Mimi appears in the second chapter. In my first chapter, the reader meets Clara who they get to know well, but then watch her murdered at the end of that chapter. Dinah wasn’t sure whether to correct this, as sometimes being unconventional can work. But as we discussed this further, I decided to reverse and rework the chapters. In scanning books I’ve read, I see how readers are usually first presented with someone to hang onto, someone they can trust to travel with through the story. Maybe it’s best not to kill the first trusted character they meet!
BOOK CLUB
Joanne Maziarczyk – Thanks for inviting me to your Book Club. With both in person and online attendees, there were lots of questions and shared insights. A big thank you to everyone! Also, thanks Joanne for hosting Ruth and me for dinner and a sleepover, which led to stories stretching late into the night and then starting up again over coffee the next morning.
INDIGO – Read the North
It’s been a thrill to be on the Indigo wall with other Canadian authors, especially at a time when we are all celebrating the distinctness of our country and culture.
BOOK CLUB
Lisa Melchior – Thank you for diving into your kitchen and preparing a meal from food mentioned within the book. Shrimp cocktail, homemade “pigs in a blanket” and individual Beef Wellingtons, followed by Sacher Tortes (a nod to petit fours) brought back from Vienna. Thanks to all for your interest & questions and for including my book among the mountain of books you have all read..
Green Reindeer
While visiting the Tucson Museum of Art, I came across Tucson-based artist Nick Georgiou’s piece. It’s made from hand-stitched newsprint and discarded books. “My art is inspired by the death of the printed word. Books and newspapers are becoming artifacts of the 21st century.” … maybe, but I hope not!
INDIGO – Author Visit
Thank you to Indigo for hosting me on Saturday, Feb 8th and to all who dropped by. Lovely to see family and friends and to meet new readers, curious to learn about and pick up a copy of The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace.
Raechill_reads
Thanks for stopping by during my Author Visit at Indigo and subsequently posting twice about The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace. Both times it was a surprise to see your posts pop onto my screen. Thanks for your kind words!
CANREADS Book Review
“At once a tender coming-of-age story, a tense family drama, and an uncanny gothic mystery, The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace is a well-researched and well-paced historical drama. It pulls us into the world of 1960’s English aristocracy, where reputation is everything and secrets are weapons, and it reminds us that letting go of the past is a difficult but wholly necessary endeavor.”
BOOK CLUB
A big thanks to Diane for the invitation to join you and your Book Club on Zoom. This virtual meeting provided a great forum for Q&A, and I loved at the end when you each weighed in individually. It’s amazing how well virtual meetings work for an Author visit. Thank you!
BIBLIO BASH 2025
Thank you to Anne Maggisano and the Toronto Public Library Foundation for their invitation to join in as their guest. It was very special to have John Irving at our table and to speak with him about his writing process. Congratulations to TPL for raising $1,070,100 for youth programs supporting social health and mental wellness. And thanks to Areta Lloyd for being my date!
Audio book in the works!
Step #1 is a test piece, & if that works, we’ll move on to full production. A big thank you to Marg Harvey for your friend’s referral to Robin Siegerman. With so many characters and accents, it’s mind boggling to imagine The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace being read aloud.
Dinah Forbes, Editor
Through U of T, I was paired with Dinah Forbes for my final 7th course in the Creative Writing certificate. Dinah was executive editor of McClelland & Stewart, where she initiated & edited its crime-fiction program. She is now freelancing & teaching, and I’m entranced with every word of advice she utters. Since my Book #3 is a thriller involving stolen identity and a financial heist, I’m in good hands!
Are you in a Book Club?
I’m open to attend virtually by Zoom or Teams. Or I’m happy to answer your questions via email and return them to you in time for your Book Club meeting.
Please do enquire. I can be reached at gwen@gwenkharvey.com.
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