Is it finished

[StevenPreece]

Following the publication of two autobiographies I decided to follow up with a novel. However, believe it or not I found it much harder going as I needed to dig deep into my imagination and do a lot of soul searching to put the story together. This wasn't an isue with my other two books becasue I knew what happened with the events of my life and found it easy to write about it.

Anyway: I put the manuscript in the cupboard for a few months and have now read it again. The result was that it was, unlike I thought, far from finished.

That said: The story is complete, I just need to fill it more and be more descriptive.

Does anybody else experience anything similar when writing novels?


Best Regards

Steve

 

[Eva]

Yes--it's almost always helpful to set a manuscript aside for a while and look at it fresh.

 

[Libra]

Good luck with it.

 

[roddglenn]

Got to agree with Eva here - it is extremely important to set aside your MS after finishing the first draft. Let it stew for a couple of months and move on to a completely different project. Then when you go back to it you do so with fresh eyes.

 

[jokewriter]

I envy you! I am working on a novel now, and it is tiring/frustrating work!

Good luck to you, and congrats!

 

[roddglenn]

I envy you! I am working on a novel now, and it is tiring/frustrating work!QUOTE]

And wonderful and the best thing in the world

 

[jokewriter]

I envy you! I am working on a novel now, and it is tiring/frustrating work!QUOTE]

And wonderful and the best thing in the world

Tis true, my friend, tis true!

 

[Lord_Kiwi]

Yes I have the same thing. Sometimes you just have to put it aside, do something else, and then later read it again. Because then you'll ahve forgotten some details, and in my case forgotten half the story, but the point is, you'll be reading it more like one of your readers would. And that will give you a whole new opinion about your own story.
most of the time, you won't be happy about it, and start from the beginning editing the whole lot. But after a while you just have to take it for what it is. 'cause it's almost never going to be perfect, and you'll be editing forever.
At any rate, I congratulate you with your finished story! May you write many more!