I finished my manuscript for the third time in seven years.
Last night marked the third time I have finished a total manuscript of my novel. This third incarnation required scrapping major plot points from the second part, reshaping the fallout of my characters’ actions, and writing a new ending.
I’ve seen a lot of my fellow writers over the years post about participating in NaNoWriMo. While I didn’t take part in the famous write-a-thon, I did use National Novel Writing Month to revise the novel that served as my MFA thesis.
Following the submission of my thesis last year, I felt dissatisfied with the second half of my novel and, in particular, its ending. Writing my novel/thesis was such a whirlwind that the very sight of this story exhausted me, so I needed a good long break before facing revisions. A few months back, I finally felt ready to tackle this story again. I scrapped the second part of the story and wrote out how I would alter the plot. I sat on those notes for a couple of more months, knowing the changes would strengthen the story, but dreading the task of putting words to paper yet again. I got myself into gear by setting a goal to revise my novel by November’s end.
This last Friday night, after staying up way past my usual bedtime, I achieved that goal. 🎉 I finally feel proud of this story from start to finish. I’m sure there will be more edits to come, but for now, I’m going to savor this victory.
This project began as a short sci-fi story in 2012, then grew into the first manuscript completed in 2015. I revisited the story as part of my MFA program from 2016 through 2018, abandoning everything from the original manuscript except for the characters and the setting. I felt more confident in the new plot I created for my thesis, but the second part of the novel still didn’t sit right with me. Now, I finally have a finished manuscript I feel truly satisfied with, and it feels amazing. Maybe third time’s the charm.
You might wonder why in seven years I never completely abandoned this story. I often did let the story lie for long stretches of time, but my characters kept coming back to me, insisting they had something important to share. Ideas for the world of the story built over the years into a complex city I know from top to bottom – from the dome overhead to the tunnels below.
My next step is to finally let my friends and family read this work in its entirety. They’ve waited a long time! I also plan to send the entire manuscript to an editor to make sure I’ve polished this piece the most I possibly can. After that, I’ll start down the long road of traditional publishing to see if this story can find a home somewhere. I’m new to the novel querying process, so if you have pointers, please do share! 🙏
Next comes my writing goal for December! I’m so excited to finally dive into a completely different story that first came to me two years ago. This new WIP takes on magical realism in the form of a contemporary YA dark fairy tale.
I’ll continue to post updates on my writing journey with both “Project DD” (my finished dystopian novel) and “Project IDL” (the dark fairy tale). Let me know what other topics you’d like me to cover so we can finally put this blog to good use!