As
family, friends and Prosers can attest, over the past several months (well, years really, if you count Hidden Magic) I have worn out
their trust and enthusiasm over and over again by proudly proclaiming these
words:
I'm
done.
I'm
done with the rough draft, and now I just have to clean it up.
I'm
done with cleaning it up. It's a finished manuscript. Now I just have to send
it out to the betas. (Right here I can get stuck on an endless loop...eventually cleaning it up doesn't actually make it any cleaner or shinier. It's called stalling.)
I've
fixed everything the betas thought was wrong and cleaned it up even more. Now
it shines! I'm done. I'm sending it to the copy editor.
I've
cleaned up everything the copy editor showed me. I'm done. I'm just going to
read it one more time to make sure.
You should see my gorgeous cover. Now it feels really finished. I'm done.
Holy
cats. How did I let that plot hole slide through? But I cleaned it up. I'm
done. It's being formatted as we speak.
I've
spent the last couple of days checking up on the formatting. Found lots of
stuff and changed my author bio at least twice. But now I'm done.
I
just got the ARC from the printer.
OK.
Let's say that one more time, just for emphasis. I just got the ARC from the printer. I've just got to go through it
one more time...
Yep.
It's done. Really and truly done. I've just got to fix one more thing.
Note
to self: This whole publishing thing is a LONG process. In the future, just tell people your book is "in progress"
until the moment you hold it in your hands. Not the ARC. The real, finished book. Trust me on this one.
Congratulations!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! This part may be repetitive, but it is still pretty fun, I must say.
DeleteLOL, I stay clear of ever using that word, and not just in writing. I feel like I never really finish anything. Housework like writing a book is never really finished only abandoned. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. It's just taken me a long time to figure it out.
DeleteThis post made me laugh :) I think the real reason authors publish is to force themselves to really think of a story as "done"; otherwise everything would be a work in progress forever!
ReplyDeleteSarah, that is so true it belongs up in the actual post, not down here in the comments. That is exactly right!
Delete