As I writer, I have already stressed the importance of the editing process. Any successful writer, fiction or non-fiction, should plan on having to write, re-write, and re-write again. I tend to lose count of just how many times that I have to proof-read and re-write the same passage before I become completely satisfied with it, but the advice that I've heard from other authors (who have also published) is to plan on at least four proof-read and/or re-write cycles before a book or chapter is complete. This aligns fairly well with my own direct experience. I would place four edit cycles as a minimum number, with most passages requiring many more before they become presentable.
This becomes all the more essential when writing something completely new - such as writing in a genre with which the author might be less familiar. When I was writing non-fiction, for example, I was completely comfortable being my own proof-editor. There was no one else as close to the subject matter at hand as I was, and I could be comfortable with my own mastery of the material to successfully edit and correct my own writing.
When migrating to fiction and fantasy, however, I became aware that another set of eyes would be most welcome: someone who was also familiar with the genre in question and who could point out elements where my storytelling might be lacking, or inconsistencies that needed to be corrected. To this end, I have become eternally grateful to have a high-school aged daughter, who was also a fan of the fantasy genre, who could act as my advisor and beta-reader for improving upon my work.
Oddly enough, when I first sat down to write a fantasy adventure, borrowing as I did from different characters and plots that had been ruminating in my mind for decades, I did not have any conscious intention of writing a story aimed at a young adult audience. I was simply writing a story, one where I had a strong sense for its beginning, its end, the central characters, and for the major milestones in between. As the story evolved, however, I was surprised to find that I had - at least in part - written a coming-of-age story. It had perhaps not been my direct intention when I had starting writing, but it did evolve that way as I fleshed out the details of the first book.
In retrospect, I should not have been surprised by that development. Many of the inspirations for these stories date back to my own youth, when I was an avid reader of the fantasy and science fiction genre. Many of the characters that I have since gone on to write about were first formed in my own mind back then - although many have since evolved and been reborn into slightly different incarnations.
This development was, as it turned out, fortuitous. It not only broadened the potential audience for my books, but also included my own daughters into that audience. My middle daughter is an even more avid fan of the fantasy genre than I was at that age, and has introduced me to other authors and source material over the years. She is also not shy about voicing criticism of my work.
As I approach the upcoming release of my first fantasy novel, therefore, it is appropriate that I acknowledge her contribution as the beta-reader for the pre-final drafts of the book.
Kind regards,
J.W. Golan
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