At what
point can a writer consider a book finished? I mean, seriously, I'd like to
know. When does an author sit back and think: 'That's it; that really is as
good as I can make it'? If experience proves anything, it's that such a moment
can never really come.
I've just
finished the revised second drafts of both my novels and, thanks to lots of
helpful feedback from many indie authors (and those kind editors at Harper
Collins), I have to concede that the new versions are considerably improved.
They've donned the magical boots of critical analysis and have marched leagues
ahead of the originals.
I'm pleased
about that, naturally, but it makes me wonder how much further they could go.
What new changes might a chance comment from an enlightened reader yield? What
fresh re-workings might stem from a moment of idle musing?
More to the
point, at what point does one put the keyboard aside and turn instead to the
sobering business of marketing?
