That moment when you think your long-worked-over manuscript is finally completed… and then you realize that there are still some relatively major changes you need to make.
At the same time, I am excited because I know that the final product will be that much better because of the advice of one of my most trusted and valued critics.
It’s kind of like painting: There comes a point when your painting could be considered completed. It looks good, and if you work on it any more, you might run the risk of ruining the good you already had.
It is at this point that the painter must not stop! Yes, the painting will get worse before it gets better. Yes, some of the already finished edges will get smudged and messy and you will have to redo them. But in the end, the painting will be so much more detailed, the colors will be brighter, and the composition will be more clearly defined.
It is the same with writing. When you come to that moment that you feel your book is good as is, and you’re a little worried of ruining it if you continue polishing the scenes and perfecting the wording, that is when you need to plunge in again and continue prayerfully working. Yes, it will get worse before it gets better, but it will be so much better than the mediocre “good” that it was.
And so, I don’t have the “My manuscript is now completed!” news that I had hoped to share with you. But, I can say that I am extremely excited about how much better my manuscript is becoming with even the little bit of revamping that I’ve done so far.
**I’m still hoping to finish and have the book on the press within the next month!**
Sarah E. Brown 