Parts one through four have magically (okay not magically who am I kidding there was sweat, there was blood, there were tears…) produced a first draft.
TA-DA!
Now, what comes next?
Nothing.
I put that manuscript in time out. Was it bad? Well, no. But if my brain thinks about it any more, it will explode.
I have the luxury of this option. Some people on deadlines don’t, and maybe someday that will be me, but if I can manage it, I will always take a break after I finish the first draft. Always.
The longer the better, one month…two…six! Longer! I want to forget what I wrote. No thinking about it. No glancing at notes. No making notes. Nothing.
Going back to words that have been forgotten means: spotting things that make no sense, seeing the holes, sensing where scenes need to be added or deleted.
I critique for others. I work notes for all the ideas swirling in my brain. I write a short story. I read. I watch movies. I ENJOY EVERY MOMENT.
I am at this point right now.
Because I have goals of querying this manuscript later this year, I put Nowhere on a month long time out. THAT’S ALL? Yup. It will work.
While I forget all the words, I read one full manuscript and a partial of another for a couple wonderful people. Notes for the second book in this series have been started. A call for short horror stories caught my eye, so I am working on that.
What happens after this month is over? Come back and find out.
Enjoy the break! I try to start the next book or write a short story when I finish a manuscript, too. It makes me think of something else, get some distance, and look at my draft with a fresher perspective.
Love the start of this. That GOTG opening scene of Star Lord punt kicking little aliens to the tune of Come and Get Your Love is one of my all-time favorites. And I also make copious notes but in a single, separate Word file so they’re easier to find with a word search.