So, the second draft I had started editing on may 24th is done today, after nearly 2 months.

A couple of remarks :

• I hate editing : I feel that all I have done with this draft was line editing (correcting spelling errors, removing unneeeded words). Only in a few places did I feel like I did some serious work (the removal of the cryptography stuff). Next WritingExcuses (tomorrow) is supposed to be about line editing. Close, but no cigar!
• I don’t feel like this novel needs serious revising now. I saw no major plot holes, and the only disturbing point (the use of the magic system being introduced in the third act), I have no idea how to solve. This is something I realized as I was writing it, but the story doesn’t give me any opportunity to introduce it before.

Now, what to do?

Is this novel ready for the rejection roller-coaster? Maybe, maybe not. I had originally thought that the first and second novels would be try-outs and would never see an editor, but why deprive myself of the potential feedback? I don’t even know if this book should go to another round of alpha reading…

Well, I have time to ponder all this, because I have other things to do right now:

• the second novel : the plot is coming nicely, but I need a fleshier outline before I start writing
• the short story : I have to complete this (including revisions) before august 23rd ; I have my ideas lying, but no plot for now. Maybe I should discovery-write this and see where it goes? After all, discovery writing is called multi-drafting, so I can afford to toss out entire drafts…  for a short story at least.