I recently received an email from a writer named Payton who completed the first draft of her first book. She had a lot of great questions. Here’s one: “What does your process intel after finishing that first draft? What should I do?”
This is a question I actually get from a lot of new writers completing a book. Let me tackle the question by first sharing what my process is. Second, I’ll finish with my suggestion for Payton and other new writers.
My process after completing a book:
After I finish the first draft of a book, I put that baby to bed. Yes, I tuck it away, tell it night-night, and let it get a good long sleep . . . sometimes for several months.
I know that may sound strange. But a few weeks to a few months allows me some space from the story I fell in love with. Then when I finally take a look at it again, I’m able to approach it with a fresh perspective, a clearer vision, and an objective view.
Obviously, a writer can’t necessarily put their book to bed if they’re working right up to a deadline, which is sometimes inevitable. But if at all possible, I think putting some distance between ourselves and our stories is important before we go in to self-editing and professional editing.
My suggestion for new writers completing a book:
Every book needs lots of editing, whether the first or fortieth. However, I will probably shock new writers when I tell them to hold off on editing their first book and instead go on to write a second and maybe even a third book while learning everything they can about writing and applying it.
What I found personally is that with each book I wrote, my skills grew by such leaps and bounds that when I finally went back to my first couple of manuscripts, I could view them more realistically and see that they were far from ready for publication.
I know that encouraging a beginning writer NOT to push forward with publication with a first or even a second manuscript may be considered negative or pessimistic.
But the truth is, all I really want to do is save the beginning writer from a bucketload of frustration. I’ve seen too many newbies brimming with excitement over that first manuscript RUSH to self publish the book only to end up disappointed as the days and weeks pass by with only a few sales and reviews from close family and friends.
If a writer truly wants to have success with publication, then don’t rush it. Take the time to practice and learn writing. Study the market. Get savvy about publication.
Doing all the hard work and being patient will eventually pay off! Persistence is one of the most important qualities in writers who eventually go on to have writing careers.
What about YOU? What is your process? And what advice would you give a new writer after completing a book?
Jody Hedlund
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I’ve heard that advice and seen it in my own writing. It’s kinda like dating. That guy that you couldn’t believe asked you out; you couldn’t see his flaws because you had put him on a pedestal. But after a few weeks or months suddenly you see the flaws and you wonder was I thinking!