I know I have spent the last weeks obsessing over first drafts. Their joys and difficulties, the work that goes into them, the satisfaction that they bring. Today, on a completely different subject, I would like to muse on the moment when you send a semi final draft to your editor.<\/p>\n
Turning your work over to another is always daunting. No matter how many times you have gone over it, no matter how well you have crafted it, you always know that it needs to be fixed. No manuscript is perfect, no matter how hard you work to make it as perfect as you can. And the day you send your baby off to your editor is the day you have to face that reality in spades.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is exciting, too. The thought of the book you have worked so hard on going into the hands of the woman who will read it, who will later pass it back to you with queries, clarifications, questions, and suggestions. Sending a manuscript to the editor is the next big step in making the book better, the next step in bringing the book into the light, where others can read it.<\/p>\n
It is a wonderful moment, standing on a plateau, looking down the mountain at the distance you have already climbed in the process of creation, the path you took to write and revise the book in its present form. The day will come when you get your notes back from your editor, and begin revising. That is the next step on the mountain, on the path you climb to bring a book into the world. But the day you send your manuscript to your editor is a wonderful time to stop and remind yourself of all you’ve accomplished. It is hard to remember sometimes, when there are so many deadlines, so many other projects, and work that needs doing.<\/p>\n
But I try to stop and savor the moment. Standing still, looking back at what I’ve already done is a wonderful thing. A time to catch my breath before I begin the climb again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I know I have spent the last weeks obsessing over first drafts. Their joys and difficulties, the work that goes into them, the satisfaction that they bring. Today, on a completely different subject, I would like to muse on the moment when you send a semi final draft to your editor. Turning your work over …<\/p>\n