Megan Georgia talks about her involvement in the Destiny project and how she coped with the demands of editing an established author, professional requirements and a fantasy world built in someone else's head.
"This is something that I will take forward."
As a young editor, being included in a project as vast and pre-established as this has been an eye-opening experience in both academic and professional ways. Stephen has allowed me to expand my skills by giving me the opportunity to work within the world he has created, giving me insight into the creative and business aspects of the writing profession.
The worlds incorporated within Avolonia are home to a diverse population of warriors, warlords and stubborn wisewomen. Seeing the growth of those relationships and individuals into stronger characters has allowed me to better understand the importance of character development when formulating an engaging plot line. At times, I’d find myself thinking back to how Fawn was faring against the bully, Mel; I’d be debating what the ominous warnings of Euzena would mean for our titular characters. This is something that I will take forward in my own authorial pursuits as well as use to advise other authors in the developmental stages of writing.
Stephen Ricketts is the author of the Destiny Saga, here is what he had to say about working with Megan Georgia
Working with talented editors like Megan is a crucial part of the creative process. I am dyslexic, which is an advantage when it comes to the imaginative elements of the story, but without the guidance of pros like Megan I would not be able to create such a fluid reader experience. Working with Megan has been great and helped my own confidence. I have realised things like how strong the voice that I have created for the story is, and how important it is for me to listen and react to my editors’ suggestions.
Eye of the Dragon, is the 3rd book in the Destiny Saga. It is taken from my 1st book Exodus, Lords of Destiny. The project to remaster, rewrite and re-edit the work has taken over a year. Alongside Megan there has been two more editors working on other parts, an actor working on the audiobook and a musician producing a soundtrack. I have been amazed at what I have been able to achieve with such a great team to help me.
"People underestimate the importance of literature."
Being drawn into the fates of fictional people is something that encouraged me to pursue a career in editing / publishing from a very young age but being a part of the process is a new thrill and something that I intend to pursue full time off the back of this work. I think that people underestimate the importance of literature and allowing yourself to be fully immersed in something that isn’t real life (especially over the last 12 months). Authors like Stephen draw from their own experiences for inspiration and so it’s easy to relate to characters and places, even when they are so far from real. I found myself almost included in the story by mention of places like the River Ribbel (drawn from a real place not far from where I live) and names of real people from Stephen’s life. Intertwining the real with the fiction weaves an engaging tale from Wigan to Avolonia.
Megan with a friend of the author, Mel the bully.
"I am excited to see the final product."
Creativity aside, this was my first serious venture into the business world of author / editor relations. Even though I have worked with other authors, this was the first time I’d had to write invoices, meet a stricter deadline and consider previous works of an author. This is the side of the publishing process I had never been a part of, previously sticking to the writing side of things rather than business management. I appreciate Stephen’s patience with me for the times where I had to learn to balance part-time work alongside editing, figure out what needed to be included on invoices and accidentally re-edit an extra 50 pages! Learning with someone whose work has been on the bookshelf for as long as I can remember has been an amazing experience and given me the tools I need to better myself as both an editor and an aspiring author.
This being my second work of professional editing, I am excited to see the final product in the form of a 300+ page book. Editing in small chunks, it’ll be strange to see everything compiled into a work longer than anything I have worked on previously.
The future
Megan is now an established editor on Reedsy and has worked on other projects such as 'The Wand Chronicles'. For more information about Megan or to contact her about your own editing projects, follow the links below.
Reedsy
https://reedsy.com/megan-georgia?fbclid=IwAR08f3iZofy3GItaVWlRYpkjQoY1rFUHOzPMyadK-TJkrPEmEFOPYEzEUrE
https://www.facebook.com/megangeorgiaediting/