The second post from the second person

If you've just finished the first draft of your first book (be it a 500 word picture book, or 500,000 word tome) then WELL DONE! That's amazing. Treat yourself to a glass of champagne, or a new something-or-other.


Now put that book away. Right this second. Don't you dare read it. And don't you dare just pop it straight in the post to the first few agents/publishers you've shortlisted from the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.


Because what you need is distance. And in this mathematical equation: Distance = Time.


After you've gained a bit of distance, you can read your book again, pen in hand, hand on heart, hand stabbing pen into heart as you act as your own critic. Without even seeing your work, I know that there will certainlydefinitelypositively be something in there that should be changed.


In my next post I'll try and give you some pointers for how to tackle the tricky task of the self-edit.

So who is the second person?

When you sit down to write there is just you - one person. (Well, I suppose there's also the cast of characters you've created for the purposes of your story, but you know that they're not real - right?)


You write your book. It's awesome, it's ace and it's everything you wanted it to be. You send it off and via the route of agent/slush pile/a friend of a friend with a discerning eye, you land a publishing deal. And an editor.


Now you're gonna have to share your world with someone else. Another deity who can smite characters from the story with the flick of a pen, alter the plot so that happy ending is even harder won and change the way you spell 'alright' (all right?).


So now there's a second person involved. Someone like me.