Though it’s been a little bit since I last updated y’all on the editing progress for my next intended release, On the Flip Side, the book is still well on its way to becoming a published work. Keep reading to learn how I’ve worked on the manuscript since the last update.

If you would like to recap on the previous Editing Diaries entries for On the Flip Side, you can read them here:

• Editing Diaries: On the Flip Side (Episode 1)
• Editing Diaries: On the Flip Side (Episode 2)
• Editing Diaries: On the Flip Side (Episode 3)

September – October 2025: Finishing the 3rd Read-Through and Second Round of Edits

When I last filled y’all in on the goings-on concerning this manuscript, I had just started my first listen-edit of the book. Like I mentioned in the last post, I ended up doing six total sessions of editing during this pass, going through around 10 chapters each time. I started this editing pass on September 20th and finished on October 23rd.

Since it’s been well over a month since I finished this round, I don’t remember a lot of details about it, but I don’t recall finding any extreme issues either. There are still some things I need to clarify in the last chapter, but other than that I think the story itself is solid.

December 2025: Considering Starting the Infamous Word Search Edit Early

*Hollers in agony*

Apparently, the year’s been Certifiably Crazy enough that I’m considering going through this torture fest of an editing pass earlier than usual.

Since it’s now December and I’ll have a ton of free time coming up at the end of the month thanks to the wonderfulness that is PTO, I’ve been thinking about starting the Word Search Edit, aka the one where I go through a list of crutch words and wrangle them out of the manuscript, before my fourth read-through.

Have I gone mad? Possibly. Will there be hot chocolate and coffee galore if I attempt this? You can bet your Christmas list there will be.

Really, the only reason I’m thinking about starting this early is because I’ll have the time available and this round takes forever to finish. But, who’s to say I’ll use that time wisely? Or that I won’t invest in writing my current WIP like I did last month (which paid off extremely well! I can’t wait to share my next writing update with y’all!).

My goal for 2025 was to complete 3 reads of On the Flip Side, and I’ve done that, so there’s no pressure to start another (horrendous) round. Now that I’ve wrote all this out and have thought about what I would most like to accomplish during December concerning authorship, I’m leaning more towards a NO on this, but hey. I may start the process and leave the rest for 2026 to deal with. That sounds like something I’d do.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this slightly unhinged edition of Editing Diaries! If you’re a writer, what is your least favorite part of editing? If you’re a reader, thank you again for being patient with me and sticking around as I give my books the love and care they deserve before handing them over to you. Y’all are the best!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀