Work on the third draft of my novel finished late last night. Cue wild scenes of debauchery, which I’m afraid means nothing more than a spicy mug of hot chocolate these days. Does that mean the thing is ready to read, though? Or at least done enough so I can go and work on something else?
Development hell
Erm, yes and no. The general consensus is that a book is only complete when the fully-proofed version hits the printers. So, that’s long after it’s been seen by an agent. Or worked on by an editor.
In other words, a novel is only finished when it can’t be tinkered with any more.
As you can imagine, such a process can feel glacially slow and a bit frustrating. Especially if you take the entire submission process into account. Overall, I’d say this novel is around eighty per cent complete. To be fair, the story only existed inside my head a year ago, so – all things considered – I’m feeling pleased with where it’s at.
Now the third draft is in the bag, I’ll leave it alone for 4-6 weeks. Such a break helps you return to the text fresh. Or, as James Scott Bell explains, ‘it allows you to read the novel as if for the first time.’
Trust the process
When I return, it should be easier to spot any errors or snags in terms of pacing. Then, so long as my son doesn’t keep me awake all night, I can attempt the final draft with some fire in my belly.
That gives me a polished version to test on beta readers. Once they respond with feedback, I’ll make the necessary tweaks and send the manuscript to agents. Should that whole process be successful, the text will doubtlessly change further as editors have their say.
That process changes if I want to self-publish, however. In that case, a line editor checks the manuscript. Then a professional formatter looks over it before I press the button that says ‘Print’.
So many processes; it’s easy to see how any one of these things could end up taking too much time.
On the bright side, one of my biggest problems has always been draft control. Getting more disciplined on that front recently should see me get more done in future.
The inside track
As for details on the book, I’ll just say this. It’s a near-future SF tale about a fallen football club in the north Midlands. A tech conglomerate takes it over, with designs on restoring the club to its former glory. But what lengths will they go to to ensure success?
The book is part one of a trilogy, and the answer to that last question is what the sequence looks to explore. I never intended it to be such an epic, but the tale has written itself in many ways. I’ll post a conceptual jacket blurb when I’ve done the fourth draft. In the meantime, there’s still the question of what publishing strategy to take. More news as I get it.