So, I’ve finished.
Second draft needed a lot of work. I tidied and streamlined the book, made sure the plot made sense, added plot where previously there was none, and generally tried to juggle about ten balls in the air at once. The full sweep took several months and a lot of different ideas came to me whilst I was working on it. I’ve been able to implement these successfully, reach the end, and then do a last tidy-up to remove problem language (see my previous post for more information).
So I’m done, right?
Nope. Not by a long shot.
The rush of ideas sleeting through the atmosphere and hitting me on the noggin have mercifully ceased, but there is still more work to do. Just yesterday a conversation with Paul F gave me the impetus to change the very first page, and now it’s a lot better. Thanks, Paul! I know I still need to tidy up a couple of plot points that have occurred to me in the last 24 hours. And there are still a host of problem words waiting to trip me up – I realised at the writer’s group meeting I hosted on Tuesday night that “wobble” would need to be excised from chapter 23, and possibly from other places too.
But there comes a time when you have to draw the line and stop working, if only to get some perspective. Copies are now going to my trusted inner circle to get their opinions. If they all point out the same thing, I know I’ve got work to do. If they all have different suggestions, I’ll consider them but am more inclined to ultimately go with my own judgement in each case.
Does it feel good to have finished? Sort of, but it’s been exhausting. I’m working on a short story I started about a year ago, wrapping that up, and its brevity is appealing. But more on that next time.
