This update will be short. I started the revisions on my novel a few weeks ago and I severely underestimated just how long this process will take.
I spent the first week re-reading the entire book and taking detailed notes on areas that need improvement. For the most part, the novel needs some attention in regards to character development, better transitions for a more natural flow, and some dialogue clean-up. That’s the overall consensus and my biggest focus on the first 10 or so chapters. After that, the plot really starts moving forward and there’s a lot there that needs to be changed or tightened up so the story makes some sort of sense.
After taking all the necessary notes needed to get the revisions going, I began with the first chapter. I spent the entire first day on the very first page alone. I thought to myself, “This is gonna take so much longer than I expected.” But then, I was able to complete chapter 1 a couple of days later. I knew I wanted to re-write the opening paragraphs of the novel to give it a stronger start to the story. However, once I felt I had written a decent beginning, the rest of the chapter fell into place a little easier.
So far, I’ve completed revisions on the first 2 chapters. I had hoped to complete the third chapter last week but I know I can’t rush it if I want to improve and make my novel better. I’m hoping to have the first 9 chapters completed by the end of this month. Originally, I stated that I would like the revisions to be completed by the end of April but now that I’ve gotten into the revisions in earnest, I realized that this likely won’t be complete until end of May. And that’s wishful thinking.
After chapter 9, that’s when the plot really starts moving forward and I have lots of changes I need to make. I can only imagine just how long it will take for me to clean up any plot holes and change some of the events that take place.
I’m optimistic, though. At the end of the month, I’ll have a better idea on how much I’ve completed and reassess my timeline. I might have to start expanding my hours and days that I work if I am to have a working manuscript by the end of May.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope to have a much better update next month.
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