WIP Update: On to the Editor

After seven rewrites and revisions, and a few last-minute tweaks and deletes, my manuscript was sent to my editor today.

I informed her yesterday that I'd be forwarding the 67k words to her. She replied that she was looking forward to a good read. I hope she's not disappointed. 

The first draft was 37k words, so it's grown another 30k in the past four months or so. I thought I would be able to finish it in three or four rewrites, but that was not to be. Every time I went through the manuscript, I added another layer to the story, be it a subplot, new character, or plot expansion.

I read an interview with chef Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Contessa," yesterday and she quoted noted journalist Bob Woodward as saying, "It's not that I ever finish a book, I just stop working on it."

I couldn't find the quote after a web search, but I understand the reasoning behind it. There comes a time when you have to say to yourself, "Enough is enough," and hand the manuscript over to your publisher. 

One of the great things about writing a series—this book is the third in the John Ross Boomer Lit Series—is that I can pick up where I left off. I've already written the first draft to the fourth book, and know what I plan to do in the fifth. 



I've got a title for the new novel but won't disclose that until the contract is signed and I'm working on her edits.

And if all goes to plan, the novel will be published in the first half of 2019. And perhaps the fourth book in the second half of the year. No pun intended, but time will tell if those goals come to fruition. 



At least the manuscript is out of my hands for a few weeks. It's time to take a break.

Until the next time . . .

WIP Update: Seventh Rewrite

I've completed six rewrites on my work in progress; now it's on to a seventh.

As mentioned in my last post, I thought the manuscript would be ready to send to my editor after six rewrites. I also noted that if I wasn't completely satisfied, I go back over the third installment in the John Ross Boomer Lit series.

And that's what I'll be doing over the next few days. There are still several tweaks to make before letting it leave my hands. It's now more than 64k words, up from 37k after the first draft.

Writing the first draft is probably the easiest part of the process, at least for me. I simply sit at the keyboard and the words generally flow from my fingers. 

And I know beforehand that it's not only a first draft, but a rough draft that will have to be polished through rewrites and revisions. For me, that's when the real work comes in—making all the pieces fit, tying loose ends together, and making sense of it all. 

It's my hope that this will be the final rewrite. After a while, I get a little tired of reading and rereading passages. That's when my editor and proofreader go to work on the manuscript.

Until the next time . . .