Not bugging The Eight for progress reports is hard. The kid on Christmas morning in me wants to blast a broadcast email message, a temptation thus far resisted. Besides it’s actually the Seven right now, as one manuscript is still in the mail. Must…resist..urge to check…package tracking.

Yet another lesson in letting go of outcome. That’s been a major problem for me throughout the writing process. I took the story as far as possible with minimal outside input and now is the time to allow other voices some sway. While I could pull a J.D. Salinger and invest another 9 years writing, that sort of gestation period is unacceptable. I don’t write classics; I write entertainment.

Hopefully, the fun of entries like these is that I’ve no clearer idea how the story will end than anyone stumbling across them.

Printed the last of the eight copies Sunday for the pre-submit readers. But before doing that I did some reading of my own. Actually reading my copy start to end took six hours; your results may vary. I edited a few awkward sentences, adjusted some punctuation goofs, and dropped one paragraph. The cuts totaled a net loss of 107 words – not too shabby. The pre-submit readers are getting essentially the same manuscript I read on Saturday, which is very much the manuscript that wrapped on November 1, 2005.

Monday is all about distribution. The Wife whisked some copies away; I dropped a few off at people’s homes last night. One leaves by post for the Heartland this morning. The final package is being picked up at my place. At this point, everything about the process is beyond my control. It’s time for new challenges.

This is the last entry about the book for awhile. Back to amusing entries – I hope – again.

A 353 page manuscript times eight readers equals a lot of paper and toner. OfficeMax had a good deal on the recycled stuff, so I bought 10 reams ( 5,000 sheets ). Until this weekend, the novel existed in printed form as segments, usually the most recent 100 pages. Next time around, I might try the Koontz approach: write a chapter, revise 15-20 times, print and read the latest. If it meets quality standards, start the next, otherwise resume the revision cycle. I used the first half of his method with good results, just not the second. Tackling the lion’s share of the editing in place made for a very long gestation time. Perhaps more frequent print outs would improve efficiency.

On the economy of scales, I’m sold on the benefits of short chapters. They complement my writing style and force me to make each one matter. There’s passages that breath as Stephen King says, and there’s those that suck wind ( says I ). My strength is directness, not long narrative freak outs that draw the reader to hell and back. It works in some hands. Not in mine. Also, short chapters make for easier edits – nice bite-sized chunks. I suspect the next book the page count per chapter will fall.