When to submit your manuscript

Tell me a Story

I'm always telling newbie writers to edit, edit, and edit again. Too many writers submit their stories in the full flood of passion - believing their words to be magical.

Submit your manuscript

The moment of high-passion is the wrong time to submit your precious manuscript, you should put it away for a period of time - a couple of months if possible, then read through it again with fresh eyes. It's surprising how those magical words suddenly appear rather timid and powerless.

It's not the time to throw the manuscript away though. It isn't the moment to discover you can't write worth a jot. It's a moment of revelation. You have become a writer. You now see your mistakes. You perceive the error of your words. It's a time to rejoice because you've seen the light. Now is the time to edit the damn thing until it shines.

Be your own Critic

Self-analysis is the state writers should strive for. Become your own worst critic, and you'll not go far wrong. Search for those awkward passages, for the dreaded 'purple prose' and dump them.

You MUST hone your work, you must edit and edit… but when is the right time to stop all this polishing. I can’t answer that. I just know there’s a time when I say, enough is enough and send the damn thing off. I always want to change it afterwards, mind….

To put it in context, I came across a pearl of wisdom today and I simply have to share it….

• “When one tries TOO hard to seek perfection, the most apparent thing is the blemish.”

So polish it until it shines - but there's a point when it can't gleam any brighter... the trick is knowing when....

• Next post on Tell Me a Story - BookSwim.
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End of the post - When to submit your manucript