Thursday, February 2, 2012

When one sets out to write a manuscript, they must be in love—honest to goodness head-over-heels in love with what they’ve written if they have any ambition of seeing that manuscript through the process of becoming a book.  Writing the story is not enough.  Actually, penning it is only the tip of the mighty iceberg. 

Once a person finishes the initial draft of a manuscript, anywhere from 75,000-140,000 words strung together into something that resembles a coherent thought that furthers along their story, it’s time for the real work to begin.  With any luck, the writer has had the opportunity to read aloud or have read, some if not all of their scribed chapters to others who have provided valuable criticism to help keep the story more focused, real and in keeping with the intent of the writer.  If this hasn’t been an available resource, all is not lost.

Now is a good time to tuck the manuscript away and not look at it for a month or more.  Why?  Because then, when the writer goes to re-read what they’ve written, they’ll be able to do so with “fresh eyes” that are able to function more objectively during the editing process.  And here’s where the intense labor of love begins.

Tune in tomorrow for my continued thoughts on what it takes to get multiple manuscripts published into tangible books.