McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Editorial question

(1/3) > >>

Shadow:
Question.  My cousin wrote a book and asked me to be her first reader/ initial editor.  Since we've started she has been through 2 more drafts and her first round of readers.  She thinks she just has some final tweaking to do, I think she has another whole edit to do.  When I asked her if she was able to read the whole book through without stopping she said no :)  By page three she is noticing things and by page 15 she had to stop to edit.

So my question for all you writers is, when do you feel your book is done?  I know that nobody is every completely satisfied :), but what's the point where you let it go?

Yeratel:
I'd say it's ready to send to an agent or publisher for their consideration once all of the spelling, grammar, and continuity issues (e.g., calling a character "Ramirez" on one page, and "Rodriguez" on the next) are resolved, and the story you wanted to tell is complete with a beginning, middle, and end. Anything past that point is problems with the story, characters, facts, pacing, or structure that will require rewriting to correct.

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: Shadow on April 21, 2008, 09:21:59 PM ---So my question for all you writers is, when do you feel your book is done?  I know that nobody is every completely satisfied :), but what's the point where you let it go?

--- End quote ---

When my most trusted readers tell me I'm not making it better any more, or when it's been submitted.

The ones that have been submitted for long enough that I'm a better writer now and could actually make them better now if someone were to get around to rejecting them... I try not to think about.

Shadow:
It just seems strange to me that she's not been able to read the book from start to finish.  On the other hand, I'm not a writer so maybe that's common.  Maybe the whole thing is so present in her mind that she just knows :)

Moritz:

--- Quote from: Yeratel on April 21, 2008, 11:21:04 PM --- (e.g., calling a character "Ramirez" on one page, and "Rodriguez" on the next)

--- End quote ---

I know at least one Dresden Files book where that is messed up between page 1 and 2  ;D

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page