A couple of weeks ago, I made the enthusiastic goal to be sending out my first batch of queries by October 1st. Well *sigh* I can see now that it would take a miracle to meet that.
I am nearly through with my second round of revisions, which has involved strengthening characters, adjusting the overall cohesion of the story, and filling out the plot where it needed to be filled out. Trouble is, I have added almost 10,000 words! Now, I feel like I should slim it down. And, I also feel like I should go through it one more time to polish up the prose.
*SIIIIIIIIIIGH*
I am getting so impatient. I just want to be done. I want to throw that thing out there. But, at the same time, I know that I want to submit only my best. I just need to tough it out here at the eleventh hour.
7 comments:
You said it-- you want to submit your best! I don't know how many times I revised mine and still when I look at it, I think why didn't I change that? But you'll know when it's ready so pat yourself that at least you are working on it!!
If it's one thing that the really successful YA authors of today show us (Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling and Libba Bray all spring to mind) it's that we don't have to stick to the rigid word counts of years gone by. If the book is good enough the kids can cope. Not only that, I think it's important that the correct number of words are used to support the plot. If an extra 10K added makes your story more readable and interesting then leave them in. If they add nothing to the party that's the time to prune.
You know what's best for your story and a good critique group will keep you on track if you stray too far from the path. And you've got one of those right?
I'm so in awe of you guys who get the darn thing finished… one day…
Sometimes the 11th hour is the hardest, but is definitely worth it. Hang in there. I'm in the midst of a revision as well, one day at a time! (Your lucky penny's been tossed - Good luck!)
Don't sweat it, Renee. If it's one thing I've learned from zombies, it's to take your time. I should have let that idea stew longer before I even started writing.
Once you submit, it's much harder to go back. Best to do it now. The agents aren't going anywhere.
Thanks guys for all the support. I was feeling pretty dissapointed when I wrote this post. I have been telling myself October 1st for a while now, and it is kind of hard to realize that I won't make it.
Oh well.
Terri- you're right. I think I would feel worse if I hurried and submitted before it was really ready.
janeyv-that's a good point. Actually, it makes me feel better. I think the trend in YA leans to longer books these days. So, maybe I don't need to cut as much as I thought. :)
Joanne-I'm watching that penny, crossing my fingers that all this work will pay off.
And Nataile-I can see what you are saying. I've had a few pretty good ideas for edits here at the end, which I might have missed had I submitted sooner. Also, you hit the nail on the head, the agents aren't going anywhere.
Good girl, Renee. Arbitrary deadlines are just that--arbitrary. And I can understand being anxious to get along with the process, but you're doing exactly what you should.
Too true, Kiersten. No point in clinging to the October 1st deadling just because I wanted to be done by then.
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