I’m done.

I finished late last night (early this morning). Holy cow, that was a task. I can’t believe it took me that long. All that procrastinating just made me want to keep putting it off. Well, I’m going to try and do better with my next book. Maybe I’ll shoot for three months, so it’ll for sure be ready by winter of 2005.

Standard procedure dictates that I now read over it and make changes to any glaring critical grammatical errors. Strunk and White say to omit needless words, which I do during this phase, and Stephen King says I should end up with 90% of what I have now. Cut the fat. That would be some eighteen pages worth of material. It hurts to cut that much, but it’s good advice. I’ve never seen that much to cut personally – maybe because everything I write is worth keeping, or maybe because I think everything I write is worth keeping. We shall see what happens.

Carrying on, after I finish this quick run-through edit (I did three and a half chapters today), I start my next book. After about a month (King says three to six) I pick it back up. During that time, it will have grown cold on me, so I’ll see every misplaced detail and stupid sentence. Thus when it is picked back up and run through with a fine-tooth comb, I’ll be polishing it for final draft. After that phase of fine editing is done, I convert it to eBook and reread it in its entirety in one sitting (if possible).

Congrats to me, I finished it and it’s done, and this weekend we celebrate by having a bonfire at my friend Aaron’s, down by his pond. We shall stay up late enflamed on the wine (beer) and talk and drink and eat and be happy. I won’t be mad if you send me a congratulatory note.