In case you missed me trumpeting it all over the interwebz, I finally got to the end of my manuscript. Yippee! I love typing THE END. Even after however-many manuscripts, those two little words never get old.
I do actually type THE END, too. Do you? It looks so niiice on the page...
Anyway. It's done. In less than two months, which is record time for me. So I had a day off. And today, it's back into it: planning for book 2 of this series, the one with the ice-hearted bastard and the vampire. Sweet!
I'm under no contract for these stories, so for once I can do what everyone says you should -- let the MS sit for a while before hurtling in to revisions. Normally, it's a day or two, and then on with the slash'n'burn -- I just don't have time to let it stew.
Besides, I love my stories, and I can't wait to get back to them. Yeah. Author impatience. That's probably the real reason. And the advantage of revising while it's still fresh is that the plot arcs are all still clear in my head -- I can see where I've let the story down in terms of making those key moments hit hard.
On the other hand, the line edit stuff can be a dead loss, if I do it while I still remember typing the words. It's difficult to be ruthless so soon. That's the stuff I like to leave till later, if I have the time.
So how do you like to go about revisions, if you're a writer? Jump right in? Leave it a while and move on to something else? Or (shudder) do you let your crit partners read it straight away, warts and all?
And do you type THE END?
No, I don't type The End. I jump out of the chair and do a dance, then tell all my friends so they can curse me ;) It does sound pretty cool though.
ReplyDeleteI have to leave - I'm terrible at reading what I think should be there, rather than what is. Plus I need some space to be really objective. But it doesn't have to be too long - I'm finding just a couple of weeks is ample.
Great news you're finished with the first draft and ready for getting to the editing/revision.
ReplyDeleteI too type 'The End' when finishing a short story or novel. But, unlike you, I have to wait more than a day or two. Usually I enjoy the editing process more than the actual first draft writitng.
Looking forward to this one on the shelf too!
Congratulations on reaching The End! That's so exciting. I've yet to actually finish anything I've started writing, so I'm not completely sure if I'd be tempted to write "The End" or not, haha. Hopefully I'll find out someday soon :)
ReplyDeleteYou go, Lilly Bear :) someday soon... good luck!
ReplyDeleteI like me the editing too, Terry. It's much easier than making fresh words, and like most writers I am naturally bone lazy, ha ha...
You should try 'The End', Nicole :) it's awesome! Doesn't mean you have to abandon the dancing!