Thursday, February 2, 2012

What Happens Next

You may or may not have caught my post yesterday.  I'm finished with the first draft of the book I'm calling Djinn 2.  Judging from the comments, there may have been a bit of confusion.  For that, I apologize.  Writers always strive for clarity.  Let's just say that, even though I work very hard to achieve clarity in my fiction, I don't always achieve it in my blog posts.

So, what happens next when I finish a first draft?

I let it sit.  I leave it alone.  I try to forget about it so when I go back I can look at it with fresh eyes.  Sometimes that takes a month or two.  Sometimes it only take a couple weeks.  This time?  Well, we'll see.

In the meantime, I'll be working on the edits for Djinnocide - the first book in the series.  I've been working on this book on and off since i started the thing in September of 2009.  Since then, I've rewritten it twice.  This will be the umpteenth edit of the last and best incarnation.  The one I hope will launch me into the ranks of the agented, and propel my career so that I can actually publish this series.

While I'm working on the edits for Djinnocide, I'll be perfecting my query materials.  When I get done with the edits and the polishing - hopefully by March because I don't think I have any deep editing left (unless my beta readers and crit partners tell me differently) - I will query for Djinnocide and begin the first round of edits on Djinn 2.

Or if I'm still too close to Djinn 2 to see the flaws, I will work on a different unedited manuscript.  (Lord knows I have plenty to choose from.)  And I'll still be sending out submissions.

So, that's the plan.  What do you do when you finish a manuscript?  Do you let it simmer or do you dive right into edits?  If you haven't finished one yet, do you have a plan for what you'll do once yours is done?

5 comments:

  1. Great plan, B.E. - 2012 is going to be your year!!!

    I don't want to discuss finished or unfinished manuscripts, K? Thanks ;)

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  2. I send it out to crit partners and I pick at it like it's a scab, lol.

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  3. I definitely let a first draft sit. The first time it was hard, but editing does go a lot easier (better?) when you see it with fresh eyes (as I'm finding out by editing a book I haven't touched in a year).

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  4. That sounds like an excellent plan! Go B!

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  5. I dont tend to let it sit for very long. I know you're supposed to, but I never really feel the need. *shrugs*

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