What Now?

Now that I've finally finished explaining what's involved in revision, you might be wondering what's still ahead in the process.

The first step is that I have to complete the great big stage I'm currently in. Right now I'm nearly done with the second storyline. It's quite possible I said the same thing a month or so ago. The final few chapters of this story have been a real doozy. But soon enough, I'll be concluding this plot.

Then I'll move on to the chapters narrated by the last, but chronologically earliest, protagonist. I hope to once again benefit from the injection of enthusiasm that comes from beginning something different, even if it's still part of the same novel. Revising the final storyline will take a certain number of months. I'll commit to that much of a time estimate.

At that point I'm sure that all the wonderful people who have volunteered to read the manuscript will be clamoring for a copy, so I want to warn you now that it's not going to be ready the moment I complete the last chapter. In the course of this revision, I've made some adjustments that created inconsistencies with bits I'd already worked on, so I'm going to have to go back and fix up those problems before sharing the draft with anyone. Just want to be clear on that in advance.

Writing out a description of my whole revision process has helped me realize that, hey, yeah, this is a big project, and I'm feeling a little less impatient now. I hope my eager future readers feel the same.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ The Intern demystifies the glamorous road to publication and explains why you will still be insane after the book deal: "If your forthcoming novel has a scene in which the characters go skinny dipping in a hail storm, you will immediately stumble upon twenty already-published novels with a scene in which characters skinny dip in a hail storm."