• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

R. L. Stedman

Writer

  • My Books
  • My Story
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Giveaways
  • All Books
  • SoulNecklace Stories
  • Middle Grade

How To Tell When Your Manuscript’s Finished

April 4, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

When is Your Manuscript Finished?

It’s hard to know when you’ve finished a creative work.

How many times do you continue polishing, hoping to improve what went before? When do you ever finish?

 

writer's notebook

 

Wanna know the hard truth?

Your Manuscript Will Never Be ‘Finished’.

For me, I normally do about five ‘Final Drafts’. It’s crazy! Each time, I save the next draft as ‘Draft_FINAL’ and it never is. There’s Draft_FINAL One’; ‘Draft_FINAL Two’ and so on. My personal favourite? ‘Draft FINAL_FINAL’.

Each time I review a draft, I find more errors, or more room for improvement. Each re-draft takes less time than the one before, but each re-draft is harder, more freaky, because each time I re-read it I realist that there’s still so much wrong.

I suppose for me, a piece is finished is when I CANNOT bear to read it again. It’s when I think “If I work on this story anymore I will go insane.”

That’s the time to take a deep breath, package the finely crafted work up and sit it on it for four to six weeks. Then check it one more time – just in case!

I dread the next part, the sending it out into the wide wide world. Because as soon as that happens, I start getting rejections. Rejections are almost inevitable. And oh, how they hurt.

Perfection isn’t Possible.

 

Your work will never be perfect, but at some point you HAVE to step away. Because only then can you get ready for your BOOK LAUNCH!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: How To, Writing tips Tagged With: How To, Writing Tips

About Rachel Stedman

Award-winning author Rachel Stedman lives in Dunedin, New Zealand with her husband and two children. Her first novel, A Necklace of Souls, won Best First Novel at the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2014. In 2012 Rachel was the winner of the Tessa Duder Award and was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award. If she's not got her nose in a book, she's on instagram or twitter (@rlstedman) or at her local library. Her website is www.RLStedman.com.

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Our Privacy Policy

rose100

Facebooktwitterinstagram

Privacy Policy | Website Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions of Sale
Copyright © 2018 R L Stedman. Website: Arts Net
This website uses Affiliate Links: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...