It may be back-to-school time, but, at my house, it feels more like final exams. Because I just received my copyedited manuscript, complete with title page. And, you’re not going to believe this. It has MY name on it! I know. Pretty amazing.
Seeing all my words laid out in black and white, the way that they will appear on the page when people are holding my book in their hands made this all suddenly feel very, very real. Before, it looked like that same Word document that I’d been hammering away at in my office that I wasn’t sure anyone would ever actually read.
It’s so exciting but also so nerve-racking. Because this is it. This is my last chance to make any changes. This is the last time that I can lie in bed at night, ruminating over one line, and be able to alter it.
It feels eerily like reviewing those multiple choice tests in college, going over the answers one more time, asking, “Do I change that answer? Should I keep it how it is?” Digging a little bit deeper. Trying to reason out what is perfect when several choices seem correct.
They say on those Scantron sheets that your first instinct is usually the right one, that changing your answer is generally a bad idea. I have a feeling that isn’t quite the same as novel writing, though, especially considering how many of us hammer out a first draft in a few weeks and then edit for months on end.
But this is really it. I’m sending this book out into the world, to all of you. And it’s never coming back. I guess I’ve studied as much as I can. So now, here’s hoping I chose the right answers!
P.S. I just got the really exciting news that the cover of Dear Carolina is going to be released on September 16! Can’t wait to share it with all of you!
Hooray!!! Congratulations!! That is so amazing and I can’t wait to read!! SO much fun!!! So proud of you!