I've Got a Messy First Draft. What Do I Do Now?

Virtual Office Hours #12

Welcome to my virtual office hours! This is a bonus I’m offering on Fridays for the next 12 weeks to writers in my 12-week Fall Into Your First Draft program. Each week, I’ll answer a question posed to me by a writer.

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Q: I’ve written a novel. What next? Do I send it to beta readers? Do I hire a copy editor? Do I write a query letter?

A: First, stop and celebrate! Congratulations! You’ve written a novel! This is a bigger accomplishment than you may realize. According to a 2002 survey by The New York Times, 81% of US Americans dream of writing a book someday.

A much smaller fraction of those who want to write a book actually do write a book. Of the people who take the step of beginning to write a book, only 3% ever finish. You’re already in rare company.

Don’t minimize that accomplishment. Don’t gloss it over. Don’t be so focused on next steps that you fail to give this accomplishment its due. Take the time to stop and celebrate in a big way.