This is some really great advice on trying to determine when your manuscript is ready to begin the query process. Though I didn’t follow this advice (didn’t have it at the time), I have to agree that it’s very sage advice and I believe I will follow it closely for my next manuscript
Huge thanks to the author of this article (www.editingandgeekery.wordpress.com) for allowing the reblog. It’s important information that I think anyone attempting to write a first novel should consider!
When I talk to aspiring writers who have never published a novel, I often hear, “how do I know when my book is done?”
The true answer is that to an extent, a book is never “done.” Sometimes I look at a published book and think, “we should have done this one last thing to it.” Or a writer looks at a published book and thinks, “I could have written this scene better.”
But there is a point where a writer has done the work to the best of their ability, when there’s nothing left to do but pick nits. The manuscript is finished. What next?
The first thing I recommend is that you set the manuscript aside for at least a couple of months. If you can’t resist looking/picking at it, copy it to an external drive and delete it from your computer, to reduce temptation. Then, write something…
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