Revisions need not be lonely work.

Line edits are tedious. There’s no other way to put it. Yet, they can be a lot of fun, because the process unearths some howlers. I may post one or two segments that I cut.

I plan three full passes of the manuscript over the next two weeks. The first is in place, in other words, working directly in the electronic document. The next two will be hardcopy based. A fresh toner cartridge awaits.

If the edits are tight enough, Team Eagle Eye can read quickly, and I can cruise right into the next project.

Number seven of the Eight returned the manuscript late, last night. They did not finish. On the surface, this might appear a bad thing; it’s not, because they redeemed themselves. You see, number seven lent the manuscript to a police officer who read the manuscript in twenty-four hours, liked it, and wants to read the next draft. Also, he is offering help as a technical advisor. Can’t complain about that.

This unexpected development boosts the completion rate to seven out of eight readers, although the group is not quite as I planned.

Very close to the finish line with the Eight’s comments. Just three points out of a list of eighty-two are open, and I’m not one hundred percent sold on the few remainders, as they came from lone voices. No other reader seconded the observation, which suggests its a matter of personal taste.

The goal: March 17th – complete the line edits, grammar concerns. On March 20th – hand off to Team Eagle Eye.

If an author wrote a story, polished it to the best of their abilities, and then burned the manuscript, never showing anyone the finished product is that insanity or Zen?

In my thinking the act mixes both. I can see the Zen of it; writing done solely for the sake of writing. No expectations, and no compromises. The process is truly its own reward.

On the other hand, destroying something one slaved over without sharing seems a bit controlling to me, but I could be wrong.