The final look-see before final copy edits.
Lucky me. My former step-father was a jeweller and I had the opportunity to talk to him about his craft.
And I realise now that there something in common between the wonderful work he did designing jewellery, cutting gemstones and manufacturing the precious metal fittings and writing a novel.
When you are writing your first draft, you are a miner or a fossicker, plowing through tonnes of words, digging your way through plot development and washing away the self-doubt and procrastination.
At the end of the process you know you have uncovered a gem.
It’s not ready for setting – not by a long shot. It’s rough, chipped but for those who know what they’re looking at, they will see its potential, these are your critique partners who will tell you whether or not your gem is flawed and how best show off its best potential.
Cut and polished to allow its natural beauty to shine through.
Very much like writing a novel, a gemstone has its own story to tell. What happens next is a co-operative process between gemstone and jeweler, between manuscript and writer. The stone, like the story will reveal its own truths, quite separate from the desires of the creator.
This is where you need to be sensitive. A good jeweler will examine the stone, turning it over again and again, identifying its potential. It cannot be something it is not. You may wish for a brilliant round diamond, but a particular uncut stone may tell you that it is an emerald cut instead. Experience and wisdom make you sensitive to the signs.
Then the hard work starts – grinding the way the parts that will never make it into the final. If you’re lucky there is enough there to chip away and save aspects for another story, another time. As heartbreaking as the process might seem at first – it is cathartic and exciting too as the potential of that gem of a story is realised – revealing itself facet by facet.
The End is just the beginning
The final step is polishing until it sparkles and this is the process which I’ve been doing for Warrior’s Surrender the past couple of weeks.
There is something special about going through the edits of your manuscript, where you can admire the hard work which has gone into the process – and only you know how much.
Warrior’s Surrender has gone through this process and it is now back with the publisher for ‘certification’ and quality control. They will put it in an enticing package with a beautiful cover – giving just a hint of the gem inside, waiting to surprise and delight the person who takes it home.
You hope they enjoy the end product as much as you enjoyed the creation.
Forgive me for being lyrical – I’m between writing projects at the moment and lure of the literary gem field is calling me and I cannot wait to show you Warrior’s Surrender a multi-faceted gem – a medieval romance, a mystery, a thriller, a supernatural fantasy.
It will be here soon.