My E/R/I/Whatever Process

My E/R/I/Whatever Process

Written While In the Midst of Editing/Revising/Implementing-Beta's-Comments/Whatever-That's-All-Called

Once I buckled down and did it, editing/revising/implementing-beta's-comments/whatever-that's-all-called came easily.

1. I compiled all my beta's notes into one document. (If you haven't had someone writerly read your book and comment on it, make that your first step. It's invaluable.)
2. Since I was totally revamping my first chapter, I opened an entirely new document and began to write. (That stupid new first chapter took me a freakin' month or more to get 'right'.)
3. Once I was satisfied with the first chapter (did I mention how long it took?), I started pulling pieces of my last draft into the new document. Sometimes they were just sentences, but as I took off from the proverbial runway, they became longer and longer.
4. I kept an eye on all my notes from my lovely beta, making changes when needed.
5. Made sure everything matched up.

That's the crazy part: the permanence of it. The first chapter is now the foundation. Characters, settings, world-building - at this point, they're stuck. There's not going to be another go-round to make changes. This is that go-round.

Scary, yes, but also invigorating. I'm this close! This is how I did am doing it. It's working so far. :) Eeeee, I can't believe I'm almost to the milestone (a la Justine Dell) of I'mdonewiththemanuscriptforever!

What about you? What big finish/milestone are you getting close to?