Bell Tower in Red Bluff, CA
Well, gee. It's written after two years in the making. My first novel. Perhaps my only novel. I hadn't written anything on it for a couple months. Thinking on how do I get from where I am to where I thought I wanted the book to end. I even wrote the end before starting my two month ponder.
It didn't feel right. The end was to abrupt, to many characters hanging out off page that people still want to know about.
Okay, I sat down and wrote the next chapter from the antagonist point of view and two thousand words later the prefect ending. I changed the other ending into the epilogue to which it was better suited.
Now what? The dreaded editing process. I have learned a great deal from the writing group I'm in that so many of my editing woes are coarse corrected by the group. I have 33 chapters and the epilogue. I've presented up to chapter 24 to the group. That's five more months at two chapters a month. I expect more coarse corrections to come. Their critiques are spot on. I rarely ignore a specific input for improving my story.
I need to consider the marketing aspect at this point as well. I've put that in the back of my mind because I didn't want to present the book or it's theme without the thing being written. Now it is.
I will have to look up query letters and submission guidelines, agent or not, self-publish or not, find a cover; o-gee. Hardly know where to start first on the marketing phase.
Anyway, yippee. It's good to move along.
Again, congrats on finishing, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the story in group. My first suggestion would be to post a question about queries and agents in the Writers Discussion group. I know there are a number of very helpful websites out there, and the group can point you in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteDesigning a cover is a different story however. Covers are very personal. Only you know what you want your cover to look like. I looked at a bunch of covers and saved the ones I liked. I knew what I wanted. I found a cover designer I liked, sent her the covers showing the general layout I wanted and some hand drawn images. She put it all together into something I was happy with. Just like your story, it'll never be perfect. There comes a point where you just have to decide, no more tweeking and go with it.
There are pros and cons for both indie or trad publishing. You'll have to decide what works best for you. Take your time and enjoy the journey!