The last day of May has rolled in, so time to take stock of #wipmadness progress! How did everyone do? Are you happy with where you ended up against your goals? Congrats to every single one of you for sticking with it!
As I mentioned last week, the theme this week is finishing. My question for you all is when do you declare your manuscript done? Do you have a trusted critique partner who tells you to send it? Do you have a set round of revisions or a checklist to pass your manuscript through? Do you reach a certain point when you know in your gut that it’s ready?
Because there’s that point, right? When you’re pretty sure you’ve done all the right things: multiple several rounds of revision, hiding the manuscript in the drawer, more critique, more revision, SEND!
And then, crap. Comments from someone else reveal the major work still needed.
#headdesk
So you do it all again, and again (and most probably, again). Desperately seeking perfection. I hope we all find it!
I go through many rounds of revisions and also have critique partners go through the manuscript too. When I feel like it’s ready, I’ll send it to my agent. Of course, I know I’ll have more revisions to do after that. 🙂
Finished my third draft of my wip! Yay!
But still a lot farther to go until I’m actually finished.
I think for me I know I’m done when there are no niggling questions left. I keep a document while I’m writing where I type up every worry that occurs to me, every setting or character detail that’s inconsistent, every word that doesn’t feel quite right. Then as I revise I go through the list. Some days I add more than I cross off. But eventually I hit a point where every single thing is crossed off. Then there’s betas and more work, and so on… but eventually there’s nothing left to add to the list. Then I know it’s done. At least for the moment. =)
Week two of my WIP and I’m having so much fun again! I came out with 500 extra words for the weekly goal without having to fight for them:-)
As to when I feel a manuscript is done. At least three rounds through on my own, then beta readers and subsequent changes, then several rounds of revision with my agent. It’s a good thing I love revising.
I’d be happy to host WIP madness Check-In. It could be in conjunction with my new Monday blog feature, “Partners on the Path”. BTW, please stop by and check out the first post and comment to win a surprise book. http://bit.ly/iEASw3
Next week I’ll have our lovely Kip visiting!
Have a great week everyone!
How do you know you’re done? That’s a good question. Recently, it seems like when I start hating the entire manuscript and can’t look at it for a second longer, then it’s done. 🙂
I especially love it when one of my critique partners says the exact opposite the other. What to do? Usually, I find a totally different way to manage the change. Something’s wrong in that spot or it wouldn’t have been the focus of their comments.
I seem to never be done. But it always helps me to put the book aside and pull it back out again. I also like to jump in the middle of the book and really strengthen a random scene. That’s always so fun to me.
Yep. That totally happened to me with my 2nd MS. Got comments in–amazing comments, pointing out a bunch of things I’d never thought of before– after I sent a R&R to an agent. DOH!