Less than two weeks ago I had the great joy of printing out Forever Thirteen in rough draft form. For weeks I’d been editing the heck out of the raw draft, searching for overused words and weak sentences to bring it up to rough draft status. So to finally get to that point was kind of a milestone.
I took the last ten days with my red pen, circling all the parts that needed a bit more tinkering with. I also took my time to read it like a reader instead of like an author. It’s a nice feeling to see the bits of magic hidden within random sections – bits that I forgot even placing there. At times I felt like I was reading it for the first time.
A few days ago I made the last changes to the computer copy. And right now I am in the final process of formatting it for my beta readers – an exciting step since these will be the first eyes besides mine to know what happens in Forever Thirteen.
I’m both elated and petrified. I mean, what if they find things I need to change? 😛
My biggest reason for rushing is because NaNoWriMo is upon us! I already have an idea in mind for what I’ll be writing, and want all my focus to be on that as I take a break from Forever Thirteen. So while I write my new project in November, all my lovely beta readers will be reading Forever Thirteen. And once the end of November hits, I can dive headfirst into the final edits before passing it off to my editor.
Wish me luck! And if you’re doing Nano, buddy me at nanowrimo.org/en/participants/crissi.
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