It took me the better part of the day, but I’ve read through the entire manuscript and done an on-screen edit. This isn’t anything major, just a general tidy up and fixing of problem areas (which there were not many of, I’m glad to say).

Having done the read through, I’m feeling even more confident because the story is solid. Even chapter 13, which I reported would need a lot of work, wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’m pleased with how it’s turned out.

Next step is to get some critiques. I’ve already started the ball rolling this evening by posting some of the story to one critique group. Tomorrow, I’ll post the entire story to my special middle graders crit group. While those comments are coming in, I’ll also print out the manuscript and give it a “real” reading, making notes and doing an “on-paper” edit as I go.

First, I’ll give myself a break and finish reading The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. It’s a detective story, with lots of great twists. In truth, I read a couple of chapters and then put it to one side because I was heavily involved in my manuscript, then I was self absorbed because of my health problems. I picked the book up again yesterday and have now read over half the novel. I’m enjoying it a lot and will shortly be off to read some more.

Filed under: Cat's Eyes, My Writing: