
Today’s guest post is by Victor Salinas:
If you participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), you’ve spent the last month grueling over your new manuscript. For thirty days you’ve slaved away at your keyboard, madly typing, and at last, you’ve got it!
A new story is born. But it still has a long way to go.
What else does your story need to mature into its finished form?
For those you that didn’t participate in National Novel Writing Month, these same steps will help you finish any manuscript before submitting it to an agent or publisher for publication.
Step One: The First (and Sobering) Review
For some, December 1 is a lot like a hangover. It’s the day after a long binge of gut-wrenching indulgence. It’s the first respite after a month-long marathon of clacking keys and gallons of coffee.
Buried within your computer files or under that stack of hand-scrawled notebooks is your baby. It’s your pride and joy. Your gem. But I’m going to be frank with you—it ain’t pretty. Your baby is most likely a hideous mess. And I mean that in as kind a way as possible. Continue Reading…