Feeling pleased with yourself? You should be. Most people don’t get this far. And I know what you’re thinking. ‘I’ve written a book! Best send it off to agents, publishers and anyone else I can think of right now!’
Hang on. You haven’t written a book. You’ve completed a first draft. That’s not the same thing. You still have to go through the revision process, which is just as important and, at times, just as frustrating as putting that story together in the first place.
There’s a saying in this business: there are no good writers, only good rewriters. For once it’s an old saw that’s got a point. Revision is a crucial part of the process, a final polish of a rough-cut stone, a delicate tweaking act that can turn an everyday piece of fiction into something special. You need to approach this phase of the writing process with care, determination and understanding.
And be patient. The first thing I do when I have a first draft is walk away from the whole thing. For a week. A month. More time if I had it (but I never do). You’ve waited years to reach this point. Why squander the opportunity to make it as good as possible?
How often will you need to revise your manuscript? My guess is at least three times, each from a different perspective. If it’s less than that, I suspect you’re dodging work. If it turns out to be much more, you may be getting over-obsessive – editing has to come to an end sometime.
Let’s go through each of these steps and assign them some specific objectives.