I just finished the first complete revision of my forthcoming book, Becoming a nudist. Among my two nudist resolutions for Q1 was to edit and publish this book. The other resolution was to spend at least 20 nude days in this quarter, which I already achieved last Sunday. Today is my 21st nude day since the beginning of the year. A very satisfying nudist achievement: 21 days spent entirely nude, despite a very intensive textile personal and professional life.
But it’s not about spending 21 days naked that I wanted to write this post, but about going into the final revision of the book. The Self-Publishing School defines 8 steps to edit a book. Here are those 8 steps with insights on this particular book.
- Define the point of your book. As usual I jumped on an idea I had a few months back and rushed into writing this book. My point was to look at all the facets of nudism, address them, provide answers to the many questions nudists and textiles have about nudism, and ultimately be a guide to textiles and wannabe nudists who want to embrace nudism. A piece of advice is to write a 200-500 word synopsis about the book to “trim the fat”. You will find it at the end of this post.
- Do a Readthrough with NO editing first. I did it ont once, but twice, as I was publishing each part on my blog and included comments of readers along the way. It’s probably one of the most useful steps as you see clearly what works and what does not.
- Set book editing goals. I set them at the beginning of the year and so far, I’m on track, both from a quality and timeline reference.
- Break your book up into sections to edit. I grouped editing in chapters as it was a natural way to do it for me. it forced me to rewrite pieces of them sometimes, but hey, this is what editing is about.
- Focus on the characters or people. Of course, as a nonfiction book, this one doesn’t have characters per se. However, I included stories, research and external posts to bring live examples and deepen topics. Many chapters revolve around those examples to provide more context to nudism and explain how to include nudism in the reader’s life.
- Editing chapters. I had to relook at the whole structure. Although it did not change much from the original outline, it had subtle changes.
- Editing a book for pacing. This is the next phase of editing I will enter now for the next week. I may cut, add, include some dialogues so the reader does not get bored along the way and find page turning pleasant.
- Line editing a book. This is the most difficult editing phase. Looking for grammatical mistakes, typos, passive voice (something I’m doing too much), redundancies, tics… tough, long, but necessary.
Next will be preparing the book to go paperback and electronic, which is simplified as I’m using scrivener that takes care of this process.
And then, I’ll need a few beta readers to proofread the manuscript and provide feedback. if you have a little bit of time and want to proofread the book, just drop me an email at marc at nudeandhappy dot com. To thank you, I’ll send you a copy of the printed book (or Kindle edition if you prefer electronic).
Before I go back to work, here’s the synopsis of Becoming a nudist.
Synopsis 1
Nudism? It’s just about enjoying being nude, isn’t it? Well, yes, as simple non-sexual nudity is at the core of it. No, as simple non-sexual nudity opens many doors. Nudism is first and foremost about simple and non-sexual nudity. It dissociates nudity and sexuality which culture, society and religion have entangled and continue to entangle. Whether we call it nudism or naturism is irrelevant, nudism is, second, a social and family lifestyle that puts forward self-respect and respect of others.
Nudism, accepted as simple, non-sexual and social nudity, carries many psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social benefits. Among those benefits, it helps overcome shame and develop joy. Being nude, our body functions better and contributes physically to our psychological balance. Being nude socially, we confront our fears and expose our vulnerability in a safe environment. Nudism make people, kids and adults, grow into balanced, respectful, and beautiful souls and human beings.
Nudism can be a holiday or an everyday lifestyle. Nudism is what nudists want to make of it. Nudism is an amazing lifestyle that cannot be explained full. It needs to be experienced, shared, and lived. Nudism is a journey of self discovery, of life discovery, or relationship discovery. May this book be your guide on this beautiful journey!
Synopsis 2
Nudism is a lifestyle that puts respect at its core. Respect for oneself, for others and for the environment. Nudism is about embracing simple, plain, and non-sexual nudity. Nudity is our natural state that has been sexualized by society, religions, and cultures. Nudity does not have to be sexual. In fact, nudism and sexuality are two different things, and nudists are neither voyeurs, nor exhibitionists, nor sexual deviants. Nudists are just people who enjoy being naked alone and with others, at home, in nudist settings, or in nature.
Some are born into nudist families and don’t discover nudism, others come to nudism either as a kid or as adult. How do you become a nudist? What mindset do you need to embrace? Are there benefits to nudism? Is nudism for families? Those are some of the questions you will find in this book. It describes in detail the physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social benefits of nudism. It shows how fear is our number one enemy when it comes to nudism and how to confront it and peacefully win.
By including nudism into your life, you allow joy, happiness, and care flourish. Nudism is an infinite journey of self-discovery that goes far beyond the simple act of getting naked. It opens a whole new world full of simplicity, humanity, and sharing. Whether you’re a nudist or a textile, if you don’t know where to start, if you have too many questions and too little answers, if you’re still on the fence, this book is for you. It will take you by the hand and lead you on this incredible journey to become a nudist and embrace nudism.
Strip Nude, Stay Nude, Live Nude, and Share the Nude Love!
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
