I started 2018 by breaking my dry spell of writing by starting the 6th edit of Jumpstart. I thought I was getting better at editing, but really I just realised that I still can’t judge my own skill level yet 😦
Last draft I thought I was almost there, but after going through the first 15 pages I see that I was just being impatient and wanted to get it over and done with. Guys do not rush your editing. It will show later on down the track.
I think back to my first book Feet or Fins and how I did like 13/14 edits of that book and I think to myself. God, it was fifty odd thousand words and I managed to get through that. Why is this 22,000-word piece weighing me down? I mean, it’s half that size. Anyway, so far most of my edits are line edits, with a few changes to the plot.
For the sequel, I only have bits and pieces written with a vague outline of maybe the first third or half of the book. I’m worried about when I’ll even finish that one because I read somewhere that readers expect the sequels to follow up ASAP. But I’ve got other more completed stories on my USB waiting for me to give them attention so I’m a bit worried about when I should publish this thing.
Maybe I should still put this out this year for free permanently and see how people react. Maybe I can use this as an opportunity to gather a lot of feedback.
Stephanie Haggarty 