Did I really think my novel would be ready in a year?
Yes – actually i did. I thought the mere fact that I finished a book would somehow be enough good energy to push open publishing doors. That people would flock to read my creation simply because I wrote it. Sure, I figured there’d need to be some edits but overall I believed I had a solid product. A story I believe in, characters worth rooting for and a tone that young girls could relate to.
That was about 3 years ago! Since then I’ve done multiple edits for content, formatting, sentence structure and cohesive story problems. Along the way of fleshing out the plot and characters I ended up adding more supporting characters and giving them sub-plots. The tangled web was weaved! So many ideas that I was really excited about. In doing all that work, I realized I had drifted away from my original goal; Gracie.
My current status? By moving one chapter from the middle of the current draft I’ve realized that my initial instincts were correct. I tried to do too much at once. Too many characters. Too many settings. I needed to cut back and so I am. As a result, any lingering transition problems or consistency issues are fading away.
So that’s where I am…editing away! Though my novel may not be ready for publication yet there’s one constant that remains; my passion for, and belief, in the story I am telling.
Kelly Deeny 