Well, it HAS been a while since I’ve last written, hasn’t it? In my defense, the jet lag struggle was real – so very real – and the to-do list at work ever growing. Throw editing into the mix, and you have one very harried Kristen. But here I am, in my somewhat exhausted and tattered glory, happy to be back and even happier to announce that, as of last night, my edits are done.
MY EDITS ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, what a relief! I kid you not, I’ve stared at those pages until the words all blend together and I can’t make any sense of what I’m reading. I’ve reached the point where I absolutely despise the story, mainly because I’ve read it a bazillion times and can only see its flaws. The good news is that most if not all authors feel like this, so I’m part of the club!
Last night I forced myself to accept the truth: the story is never going to be perfect, because that’s impossible. Last week I attended an event where Shannon Messenger was promoting her latest book, and she admitted to the crowd that she mistakingly gave one character two different last names, something they didn’t catch until the first two books had been printed. The fact that she can laugh about it was so encouraging, especially to a perfection-seeking debut novelist.
The truth is that I’m always going to look for ways to improve my writing, am forever going to want to fiddle with the story. But there comes a time when you know that you just have to let go, even if it means that you are essentially baring your creative soul to the world and opening yourself to any and all criticism. If you don’t, you run the risk of never actually fulfilling your dream. For me, that dream is publication, so I have to swallow my fears and plunge ahead. Am I feeling vulnerable right now? Heck yes. But did I let it keep me from sending in the manuscript to the publisher? Heck no.
Now that edits are done, next post will be our final destination in JAKOTAKONG: South Korea!
P.S. Me + MC (my sister). And yes, I know that we look nothing alike. #myfathersdaughter
