As I’ve written before, I’ve had a part in creating a book. A small part, mainly proofreading and giving feedback, but I’m still proud of my achievement. Not long after, I was asked to do it again. This time by Helena Lindegren.
It happened at a time when I was preoccupied with other things. It was the last months of the pandemic, with all that came with it, and my mind was all over the place. Helena Lindegren, an actress, writer and a generally creative person, contacted me on Messenger. Was I interested in reading her book?
At that point I had had a bit of a dry spell in the reading departement, but who can say no to such an offer? I promised I’d do it and the draft was sent over.
A Great Beginning
It took me a while to get started, and I was constantly interrupted. But it only took 13 pages. I was amazed! Helena could really tell a story. That wasn’t exactly surprising, considering her profession, but she had a distinct voice.
Somehow I didn’t manage to read the whole thing, but what I read was excellent. Still, it was a first draft… The things I thought needed some more work was the plot. It needed, or rather Helena needed to get clear on what kind of story she wanted to tell. That would make it easier for the reader to follow. I could have done more, read more, but I trusted that she got what she needed to go on writing, and I wasn’t wrong…
Accepted on the First Try
Helena didn’t just finish her first draft, she sent it to Norstedt förlag and got accepted. Now she’s working with their editors and team, which will make the book read for publishing. This is what she had to say about our cooperation:
Jag tog hjälp av Ingrid tidigt i mitt romanprojekt, och lät henne läsa mitt första utkast till grovmanus. Hennes noggranna och kunniga respons hjälpte mig enormt mycket, och tack vare hennes kloka synpunkter på både språk, stil och innehåll kunde jag ta ett nytt grepp om texten och vässa materialet avsevärt.
Ingrid har definitivt bidragit till att just detta skrivprojekt blir min debutroman som kommer ut på Norstedts våren 2025!*
– Helena Lindegren, skådespelare och debuterande författare
Thanks a lot, Helena, and good luck! ❤️
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*In English:
“I asked Ingrid for help early on in my writing project, having her read my first draft of the roughly written script. Her careful and knowledgeable feedback helped me enormously, and thanks to her wise comments on both language, style and content, I was able to take a new approach to the text and sharpen the material considerably.
Ingrid has definitely contributed to the fact that this particular writing project will be my debut novel, which will be published by Norstedts in the spring of 2025!”
– Helena Lindegren, actor and debut author
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Photo by Yannick Pulver, Unsplash