Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the last chapter of Tesla’s Ghost. The first draft is complete.
Now the work begins.
I’ve been down this road too many times to count, so I know that for all intents and purposes, the first draft is usually the fun part. Some people love the editing portion of writing; I can do without it. But this particular manuscript has shown me that it can’t do without that process, and in the long run it will be be happier–as I will be–with some tender loving kindness applied with judicial discretion.
Books are a lot like children. Some are very easy going, and when they do something wrong, all you have to do is sit down and talk to them to set them straight. My daughter was like that. In fact, if I got too tough with her, she would end up crying so much that we would make no progress and I would end up turning everything over to her mother.
My son was just the opposite. Hard headed, obstinate. Some books are tough and need a tough hand. You can sense it during the writing phase. They show a lot of promise, but only with a lot of tough love. Talking won’t cut it.
All books need editing, just as all children need discipline. But not all books are alike. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. But I also see the promise for the final product. Tesla’s Ghost is a diamond in the rough.
Soon will begin the chipping process to discover the diamond.
The Great Adventure 