So, You've Finished Your Manuscript... (Part Three)
So, the manuscript is done. The final period nestled up to the final word of the final sentence. The huge all-caps “THE END” or perhaps the fancier but still all-caps “FIN” is on the final page…what next?
First, you celebrated yourself. You bought that too-expensive candle, or took yourself out to dinner to your fave restaurant, or treated yourself to that book that’s been at the top of your TBR pile for too long.
Then, you sent your precious manuscript, covered in blood and sweat and tears, off to your beta readers and now… you wait.
Take Your Time
I know, I know. I can practically see you there reading this with your brow furrowed, a huff of indignation puffing out of your mouth as you read this.
“Wait!” you might exclaim. “Wait??”
Yeah, babe. You gotta wait.
I know you’re buzzing with fresh energy. I know it’s the first time in probably years that you haven’t had your manuscript to work on, but I’m telling you, do not tinker with the still bloody manuscript you sent to your beta readers. What use is it to anyone if they send you feedback on a manuscript you’ve already changed?
You don’t need to sit on your hands, but you don’t need to pace by the phone either. Keep up with your routine and keep that creative tap flowing. What’s the book you plan on publishing after the one you’ve just finished? What about your presence on social media? Or your blog/newsletter? How’s your platform looking these days?
Waiting doesn’t have to mean you’re not doing anything. Keep yourself busy, but keep your mitts off the fresh manuscript until you get feedback from your beta readers.
And once you get your feedback, then - you guessed it! - it’s time to rewrite.
Before you dive into rewrites, I have a message for you: the book will take as long as it takes.
Don’t rush your rewrites.
The internal deadline you’ve set is great to keep you motivated, but it’s arbitrary. I’m sorry if that offends you, but if it’s true that you want to produce the best work possible, then you want to get it right. And getting it right takes time. You’re doing no one any favors by rushing it, least of all you.
Depending on the feedback from your beta readers, you might need to go through several rounds of rewrites. And don’t be discouraged if the rewriting process takes longer than the writing itself. It is, after all, very similar to renovating a house. Taking a house down to the studs is always more challenging (and time consuming) than just razing and rebuilding. There will be unexpected delays, hiccups, unforeseen structural problems, you get it. If it took you six months to finish the first draft, it might take you nine to finish your rewrites.
Don’t stress. There’s nothing wrong with you. You haven’t lost your talent or your motivation or your giddyup. The book will take as long as it takes, and that might be longer than you expected. That’s ok.
If you ship it off before it’s ready, you’re dooming your beautiful but not fully baked manuscript to the dumpster at worst, and to the back of your desk to gather dust for a decade at best.
Once you have done absolutely everything you can possibly do with your manuscript - it’s been sent to everyone in your contact list with even the vaguest understanding of the English language and been reworked until even opening the Word doc makes your stomach roil in dread - only then are you ready to move on.
I want to take a quick moment to recognize those of you who have repeated steps one through three many, many times. I know you exist out there and I know you know you’re just procrastinating at this point. It’s just as dangerous to stay in these steps forever as it is to rush through them or skip them entirely. It can be a fine line to walk between getting enough feedback and getting too much.
Ultimately, you’re the only one who is able to determine whether or not you and your book are ready for the next phase of the process. All I’m saying is, writing a book takes a long time. Getting it right takes even longer. And you want to get it right before you bring anyone else onto your team…
