Editing "Jefferson’s Masterpiece" Continues

Last week was very productive. I spent most of the week editing Jefferson’s Masterpiece. One afternoon I visited an independent bookstore in a nearby town. I also spent time with a friend looking at new locations where I might be able to sell Nick & Sadie.

During the editing, I discovered several places where I had left space for new copy to be inserted. One was the letter Jefferson received from George Mason that was passed on to him by Judy MacAdam. Jefferson met Mr. and Mrs. Andrew MacAdam of Williamsburg, Virginian, one evening at the City Tavern. Mason’s letter involved the draft of a proposed Virginia constitution that Jefferson had prepared and sent to Mason, who was chairman of the committee to write a constitution. Virginia had declared itself independent from the British Empire when it adopted the Virginia Resolution on May 15. Jefferson did prepare a lengthy draft of a constitution that he sent to George Mason. I created a fictional letter from Jefferson to George Mason since there is no historical record of one.

I enjoy editing as I mentioned in a previous Journal. Some of the corrections or places that need to be changed jump out at me. They are so obvious that I wonder why I wrote it that way in the first place. It is also interesting to find alternative ways to phrase something that makes a thought more understandable. In many ways, writing is like working a jigsaw puzzle. The writer’s job is to fit all the pieces together so the reader understands exactly what the writer is saying. When all the pieces fit, then the writer has done his job properly.

After one more read-through this week, I will pass the manuscript on to several people who have agreed to be editors/proofreaders for this project.

Thank you for your time today,

Dennis