October's Question:
When do you know your story is
ready?
When you first type "The End," you think it's over.
You're thrilled beyond reason because you've accomplished the desired goal. You walk away, celebrate and then you send it out to betas and editors.
You begin planning the tour, the marketing.
You begin planning the tour, the marketing.
Then the critics of your masterpiece arrive in your inbox.
Guess what?
You're not finished.
That's when the rewriting begins along with more questioning, and uncertainty. Suddenly you fear that none of your hard work will ever see the light of day.
But guess what?
You work through it.
Whether it's significant rewriting or minor, you work through it. You realize all those suggestions from the beta readers and editors make perfect sense, have added to your story, and now, finally, it is perfect.
Well, almost.
Well, almost.
When you finally hand it off to the publisher, you're sure it's ready, but then, there's, even more, editing and rewriting. But you get through that too, it's what writers do.
Hitting the send button on that Final Finished Edited Copy that now looks nothing like the original, is when you know it's finished! At least that's the prayer.
35 comments:
Some of my projects seem to have no "finish" yet. Argh!!
That final send would be magical.
Thoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours
That's why if my work starts looking like the original again, I know I've gone too far.
It is a wonderful feeling to hit that final send!
Yep, have to keep on a making changes until it's wise to stop.
There are so many stages of "is it ready?" Each one is important and each time we have to let it go and trust we did our best.
Stories undergo a lot of editing before publication, that's for sure. Finishing the first draft is a significant accomplishment, but that doesn't mean you're anywhere near being done.
Editing, revising... I wish my books were cakes I could stick a toothpick into! THAT'S when I'd really know it was done. :D
Far from finished when you reach THE END, but that's always a good point to get to. :)
It takes me a long time to believe something is ready. I keep tweaking until someone tells me to knock it off and send it. Sigh.
In other words, the story is never finished until it's finally published, right? :) Every time there's a chance something might change, something will probably change. What we need is a magical device that beeps when it's done.
Not sure what I'll do with the challenge, but I'll try something!
Nicely summed up. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Beautiful! I like that Final Finished Edited Copy. That says it all.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia
Thanks, everyone for stopping by. I was on the road for a few days. Hurricane Matthew made my little beach haven, less so. I've evacuated all the way back to Pennsylvania. :) Better to be safe than sorry. I live in Central PA, and we've had hurricanes visit us several times. The last one sounded like a band of warring banshee's trying to wipe each other out. The sounds in the pitch black of night was horrifying and our house was barely missed by a falling 90 foot tree. Listening to that go on for hours was beyond stressful, so I can't imagine being that close to the ocean when they come ashore. I will try to catch up with all of you now that I am high and dry. :)
You're right. At least for me, I don't think you are ever really done, at least with a novel. I still have things I'd like to change in all of the books I've published. Just the way it is, but at some point you have to hang it up, hit that send button, and breathe! :)
You'll get there! I promise. :)
It is but the work is only just beginning! :)
So true! :)
Magical! I agree! :)
Burn out is a great place. LOL
Great way to put it! :)
It is, and it's something you never forget, especially for that first one! :)
Would be nice, wouldn't it! :)
A great place. Almost the best! :)
I'm the same way! Hard to ever be finished! :)
So excited and thrilled to see you on the list! :)
Thank you emaginette!
Thank you, Pat. It sure does! :)
Hi Yolanda! I imagine finishing is the last thing on your mind right now. I was trying to find out how Matthew was treating you, but no doubt you were on the road. Glad you're safe. It must have been a terrifying experience!
I think my husband heard the panic in my voice when I called to tell him they were ordering an evacuation. He was in the car and on his way down before I was even aware of it. My hero. :) So glad to home and not in the storm's path. Crazy stuff!
Glad you're OK. It must be terrifying to be in the path of a hurricane.
As for the writing, I guess it is ready when it is published, and sometimes not even then.
So true, Olga. At least for me. :)
I got away from the beach, but I know others won't. I can't imagine being that close!
Happy to hear you're okay! And yes, it's A LOT of work to get to the end, but oh, the feeling when you do. :)
"that final edited copy that looks nothing like the original'; I know that can be a good thing, but it's kind of scary to think about.
Glad to hear you got out of the path of the storm. I've weathered two hurricane's one while living in Florida and the other while I lived in the Caribbean. In the Caribbean if your a local, there is pretty much no way to evacuate off the island and most air seats are taken up getting tourists out of harms way, in Florida it's best to seek high ground and that's what we did. It is a scary force of nature, and this looks like a particularly bad one.
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