Red Rules and Really Helpful Readers

Just when you thought you couldn't edit again - before you have an editor who makes you edit again - I found red pens and an enthusiastic ten year old. Really, there are a team of three but one has endless amounts of patience and never tires of reading.

She had been more use than any other beta reader - if she doesn't know the word I've taken to changing it - she is the most useful 'tool' around - she says, 'This is great - I'm really enjoying reading it' but she also says - 'What does this say?' - I've taken to translating this as 'What do you mean?'

We make the perfect team - she will have a name credit on the front page along with my family and friends - and the whole of my 'Oscar' acceptance speech - or over-excited praise-fest - when-ing not if-ing it sells!

Flower and I spent Friday from our afternoon start through to 4 am hosting Come in Character - I was shattered - watching and refreshing the blog page.

Flower is so insular I couldn't just let her 'chat to the boys down the road' - she had to sit still unless spoken to.

After socialising at the 'local' all I wanted to do was snooze - cat-napping on watch is not good!

I composed whole conversations she wasn't having, and made Jess and Caleb wander by, but, keeping true to the littleness of her story, I kept them all away. Egg was allowed to visit, eventually, he has a survivor's attitude to life Flower should really learn from!