THAT DREADED FIRST READ....
I've done it. I've handed over the manuscript...handed over eagerly to someone I totally trust. Yet, even as I printed out those last pages I was editing. Thinking that I should have added this, made that scene longer, focused on that photograph because there is a link to.... But, I also knew, no matter how unfinished it was...it was time for another's eyes to go over it. First of all, someone has to see whether there is a story there. I think there is, but of course the story is mainly in my brain. As we all know, the major difficulty in writing, is getting down on paper what we have going on up there. Often so many things are overlooked because to us, it is obvious. Naturally we know that the hero has a slight lopsided smile, we see it in our mind all the time. What do you mean the reader has no knowledge of this? It's mentioned nowhere in the book? Hmmmmm. I know there are some people that insist NO ONE sees their first draft. Or even their second, ...