Almost finished

[Cayal]

I have almost finished a story I started writing during my second year of university. Which was 2005, I think, no wait! 2004.

It didn't take me three years to write it. I originally had begun writing it in a book (for some reason I like to write first) and almost finished it but I just lost interest in it and left it for awhile.
Earlier this year I found this story and began typing it out and thinking of changes to make, and finishing the ending.
I write at work, an hour a day at lunch time. I get heaps done.

Anyway I don't have much left to write and I was wondering what do you guys suggest I do next?
This needs a massive editing job, which I will do myself to fix plot points and spelling and all that as far as I can.
But aside from that, what do you guys suggest I do?

Do I send off the very rough draft to a publisher/s, do I send it off after my editing?
Do I do something else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[JDP]

Don't send it off to publishers or agents until it's as good as you can get it; they receive way too many manuscripts to spend time on any that aren't totally professional. Oh, and make sure that you check their submission guidelines (and that your MS meets them rigorously) before submitting.

 

[Lanista]

As JDP says - you need to do as much polishing a you can. It's also worth getting an editing service to look at it with fresh eyes. It costs a few quid but definately worth it in my view - it helped me enourmously.

Russ

 

[Erin99]

I completely agree with what's been said. Never, ever send off something that isn't your best. And before you do send it off, stop and ask yourself if you truly are dedicated to getting published. Right now it sounds as if you have written something and think it would be great to see it on a shelf. Being an author takes a lot of hard work, time, and dedication. Make sure you know what you're letting yourself in for before you send your manuscript off.

Also, as Lanista said, if you can afford to hire an editor, consider doing so. I have. A professional editor will show you your strengths and weaknesses and highlight your plot holes, overuse of clichéd characters/ideas, and any areas of info-dumping.


Another good tip is to buy a couple of decent books on the how-to's of writing. Books I'd recommend are Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, The First Five Pages (though I've not read this book, I've heard it's excellent), and The Elements of Style (for the technical side of writing).

Perhaps posting a sample of your writing here, in Critiques, will also help you to see your work's potential. Make sure the excerpt is finished and edited to the best of your ability first; simple grammatical errors make reading difficult.


I wish you the best of luck if you do decide to send off your work. Finding an agent is all about timing, luck, and, of course, telling a good story and being unique.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Do I send off the very rough draft to a publisher/s...?

Nooooo! Not ever, ever, EVER!!! No-one should see your rough draft, not even your best friend. No-one ever sees mine, believe me.

1. Put the story aside for a few days or weeks and bask in the joy of having written

2. Go through it with a fine-tooth comb, fixing the spelling and grammar to the best of your ability.

3. Submit it for critique - if you don't have a local writers' group, then post it here on Chronicles or on one of the many other online writers' communities. Preferably somewhere you've already gotten to know people, so you build up some goodwill. In fact, critique some other folks' work first anyway, because it hones your editorial skills. BTW, as long as a critique forum is only readable by signed-in members, it doesn't count as publication and your copyright is safe.

4. Consider any feedback carefully. If a significant proportion of critiquers had the same problem with your story, it needs fixing. If one person makes some idiosyncratic comment ("I hate characters with monosyllabic names"*), ignore it. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

5. Consider sending your polished story out into the big wide world. Be aware that it's a tough business - if this is your first completed work, your chances of selling it are not high. But for short stories at least, there are legitimate non-paying markets you can cut your teeth on.

6. Whether you go for step 5 or not, start a new story as soon as you can. One story does not a career make

Good luck!

* I kid you not - I've had that. Recently.

 

[Cayal]

gracias.

 

[J.G.Thomas]

I agree with the above points.

The very first thing you want to do is lock the manuscript away for a while, preferably at least a month. Maybe two. Then take it out, dust it off, and grimace at all the clunky sentences and rough edges.

You'll need to go through the whole thing very closely, probably two or three times. Then get as many people who you can trust to read it and then edit it all over again if anything glaring comes to light from their feedback.

When you've done all this, maybe you can start thinking about sending it out.

Best of luck.

 

[Cayal]

I actually have written it out first. Then typed it out. So it goes through a minor editing point there.

But once I type it all out, I will go over it. And then put it away while I look at ways I can get published (without sending it). Send it to some friends who would want to read it. And get all the feedback I can.

It is very rough at this moment in time so it needs a lot of work.