I recently picked up a novel I had worked on for six years. I can’t count the number of revisions I completed on the manuscript. Yet nothing seemed to help. I got discouraged and put it away.
My life had gotten pretty complicated during that time, so I used it as an excuse. As the weeks went on, I found it easier and easier to let it go. I did not want to pull that manuscript out. It was a mess and a waste of my time. That’s how I felt anyway.
I didn’t stop writing. I picked up a new project. I had an idea for another novel and began to flesh it out. I also continued reading books written by successful novelists and took some more on-line classes. From my perspective, that first book had a great premise (a fact confirmed by one of the agents who rejected my work), but I just couldn’t see what was going on that made it unpublishable.
So as I stated at the opening, I picked up that novel I had placed on the shelf a year ago and started cutting. I was looking at that work through fresh eyes, and enjoyed muddling through the mess and reorganizing my work.
Most of the blogs I read recommended setting a finished piece of work to the side for a few weeks or a few months, based on the premise it would give you a fresher look at your work and allow you to see those areas that were problematic.
Well, that didn’t work for me. I followed the recommendations, but a few months wasn’t long enough. I know everyone is different, and a more experienced writer may only need a few weeks to a few months before they are ready to roll again. So I am in no way saying you should put your work to the side for a year.
What I am saying, is if you have that masterpiece that started your dream sitting on a shelf, or stored in a remote area of your computer, maybe you should consider pulling it out and reassessing. You may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly the issues that caused that manuscript to fail come to light.
So how long do you put a completed manuscript to the side before the final edit?
Just something to think about.
-Jan R
Writing your first novel-Things you should know 
Hi Jan – there are some comments for you, under my reblog of your post 😀
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I’ve worked on the same first novel, off and on, for over 18 years. That sounds long, but I think it was worth it. And now that I know how to write a novel, next one shouldn’t take as long (hopefully).
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My thoughts exactly. The second novel has been a lot easier for me, and I have no doubt I will be finishing a publishable version much sooner.
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Best of luck with your second novel. It’s all about perseverance.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Let Jan know how long YOU put YOUR completed manuscript to the side before the final edit?
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Thanks 🙂
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Welcome, Jan 😃
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I hate to admit that every time I reread my novels is an edit. I’ve had two novels hanging around for 10 years. I’ve never found a publisher, so I’m going to do a self-publishing (or self printing) job. And I’m sure when I reread it ONE MORE TIME I’ll edit again.
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🙂 I haven’t ruled out self publishing. We shall see. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Thank you for this post – it’s interesting and gave me a lot to think about. I think I’m going to continue to give my manuscript my all, and try some submissions. And if it doesn’t get anywhere I’ll consider leaving it for a year, as you did, while I write something else. Then hopefully any issues will present themselves and I can work on making it better. Really great post 🙂
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Thank you!
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