The revision process is a lengthy one, and for perfectionists like myself, possibly infinite. It’s difficult to say for certain when your story is done because it’s easy to continually polish and revise.
That’s what makes deadlines a great thing, even if they’re self-imposed. My to-be-named book has just entered the last stage of the revision process before it goes to editing. I actually finished going through it yesterday, but there’s still a few little things to do here and there, thus why I say I’m in the final stage.
The revision process for me tends to be somewhat lengthy, but a good part of that is time that’s spent working on other projects because time (and distance) is a necessity where revision is concerned. In this case, I’m now at the point where the only time and distance I’m going to get from it is when it’s away being picked apart by my editor. Once I get it back from him it’ll be a hard crunch to get it tidied up as quickly as possible and then it’s time to publish.
Because it’s so close to the end now, it’s also time to find an artist to do the cover. I think I have an idea for what I’d like the art to consist of. I’m picturing a scene from the first chapter that involves a building that’s just been bombed. I see this building in the foreground (or possibly the middle) with two of the main characters standing next to it immediately following the blast (how is that possible? You’ll have to read to find out) with a parking lot in the background that’s covered in dust and rubble.
I’m not 100% certain I’m going this way, but for now, it sounds pretty good. At the very least, it ought to make one wonder what the hell happened and who/how/why are those people standing next to the building completely unscathed.
So, the final revision should be done soon, my editor will tell me how good/bad it is and I’ll fix it, and in the meantime, I’ll be finding an artist. And when it’s all done, it’s publishing time. August is looking good!
Whew! This stuff moves quickly.
