Sometime in Fall of 2024, I decided I could finish this draft (number 5 for those at home who are counting, definitely not Draft No. 4) by year’s end. And so there I was, just before Christmas, wrapping up my latest round of edits. “I’m done,” I thought.
But then a creeping horror stole over me. I realized I still had chapter intros to write. I considered omitting them, but felt like they would add more depth to the story because they are excerpts the from the writings of one of supporting characters, a dissident silenced for many years.
So I sat my ass in the chair and worked through them and finished the last of them on New Year’s Eve. I suspect they’ll need some polishing after all is said and done, BUT, I finished this round of edits in less than six months (barely, from July 7 to Dec 31), which is I feel pretty dang good about. This process involved manual edits on a hard copy and then bringing those into the digital version.
At any rate, to celebrate, I decided to do two things (okay three, if you include the celebratory beer):
- Re-visit another novel concept I’d begun in 2023
- Rework an early version of my query letter
I have to say that both were extremely gratifying and I feel like I’ve got a query that captures the spirit of my story in an engaging and concise way. Huzzah!
Now it’s time to print out one more hardcopy and proofread the hell out of it for typos, grammar, syntax, etc. Once that’s complete, I’ll send the novel to a handful of select readers who’ve not read it yet to make sure the logic holds up and be sure there are no Titanic-sized plot holes.
If all goes well, there’s a very good chance I’ll be querying by spring!