Another Round!

So, you've done it! You've done what so many people say they want to do, but never do. Finished your first Book! Congratulations! Now, the real work starts. Editing. Editing. Editing. Now, there are some folks that love the editing portion of writing. They love refining and making that diamond in the rough sparkle. They analyze every nook and cranny of the manuscript.

Then there are those that loath the editing process. They approach it as a necessary evil, a thorn that needs to be removed. They slug through the whole editing process at glacial speed.

It's about attitude! Change it if you fall into that second camp! Your characters deserve the added attention.

But what needs to be remembered, is that just because you finished your draft, it doesn't mean you've finished your novel. A novel isn't finished until it is in fit-n-trim shape. Think of the editing process as cross-training for your manuscript. Conditioning, strength training and cardio are going to be needed for the marathon your manuscript is going to have to embark on. It is going to be going through the process of finding an agent, a publisher and getting published. It needs the training to stand on its own. You won’t be there to hold its hand. The editing process is where you set aside your personal affinity for your work and scrutinize. Does that story arc, regardless of how much you like it, really, really, really work? Or is that character that you love so much really pulling their weight? If not, well, it’s your job to shape them up!

So, fellow pen-warriors, drop down and give me 50! Don’t stop until your manuscript is a lean, mean, rousing machine! Then, refine it, drop it in a tuxedo and send it out in the brutal publishing world.