Nearly four months since my last post and I have only this update to report: I finally completed a second draft of the book scheduled for release next year.
One of the key ingredients that helped was my publisher sending me a message asking for the draft. We had not yet specified a date for the updated manuscript but all of sudden they wanted it. By the end of April.
I have found that hard deadlines do prompt me into action.
It was a tremendous amount of work. I'm actually embarrassed by how bad the first draft was. In my desperation to have a completed manuscript to send to the publisher before they forgot all about me I basically ran a cursory spell check and send it away.
Dear God!
Typos galore, sloppy usuage, occasionally overwrought language. That was in Chapter 1. I also changed a couple of characters' names along the way inadvertently. Here's a good note: when submitting a novel be sure to read the damned thing before giving it to publishers.
I've had a couple of very thorough editors on it, Lou Allin, who I think I've mentioned before, and my Dad - who went to town on editing. The stuff others pick up for you is amazing - and I didn't have to pay editor's fees!
I'm going to be hard at another edit but I'm going to give it another couple of weeks to freshen my own perspective again.
Book three continues. December 31st is still the target completion.
