Currently, I’m working on a short story, or more to the point: I’m not working on a short story. I’m spending most of my time working on a class for my certificate or “writing.”
By writing, I mean I’m chopping my second book, The Charlatan Murders, into 43 separate chapter files and getting them each labeled properly. One version and format goes to the publisher’s vault, but since my editor and I work on a separate platform, I also have to send those 43 chapters there. At this point, the labeling gets tricky since my editor and I will bounce those chapters back and forth like tennis balls until each chapter is perfect. Then when that’s finally complete, we’re going to do it all again, twice. At least.
I learned the hard way with The Hatbox Murders that proper labeling is crucial to keep us moving forward. Without a clear system, we might end up re-editing old versions, or each editing the same chapter differently at the same time. This is the non-writing side of writing. It’s necessary and it takes a lot of time. But it’s time that I’d rather spend on my short story. But I guess all the work-writing will make the fun-writing more fun, when I finally get around to it.
Jennifer Berg, Historical Mystery Author 