The Final Proof

I'm at the final read through, the proofing stage, of Altered to Death, the sixth book in the Scrap This Mystery Series. This is the part of the process that I love...the book is soon to be done done and it's time to fully move on to another project, and it's the part I fear the most because the book is capital D O N E and I have no more good reasons not to settle on the next writing project. I have also seen (and fallen in love) with the cover, the picture of my story, and can't wait until it's time to share it with readers.

This is also my last opportunity to catch any typos and errors before they are set in stone, so to speak. For proofing, I read it on the Kindle from front to back, noting any mistakes. Next, I set the book aside for a week then print it out and do another pass where I read the book aloud from the last page to the first page. 

The last-to-first page is where I'm currently at. It takes me a little longer for this last pass as I pause whenever I find my attention wandering and I set the book aside. I want to make sure the task has my full attention. And right now, the rest of my life is a little topsy turvy so the process is taking me a little longer. (My youngest moved out on Tuesday and there was a lot to do to help him get ready for his next stage of life...and then we're facing a surprise bathroom remodel as our master bathroom had to be taken down to the studs...a story I shall save for another blog post.)

One of the things I've been enjoying and reading at a slower, and backward, pace is reading the little gems in the book that I forgot I had written. It's nice to see those charm moments as I call them, those words and phrases that silences the voice of doubt that pops up now and again. Even after having soon-to-be fourteen books published, I still have those moments where I wonder if I know what I'm doing...and it's nice to see some proof that yes I do.