Whenever I’m finished with my initial work on one of my stories, be it a short story or a full-length novel, I can’t wait to get feedback on my work. This was true for Dead Man’s Hand, the flash fiction I post on my blog to the other tales that I’ve been busy crafting. So once I finished the initial work on Drawing Thin, I immediately started reaching out to people that I trust to give me their honest thoughts on what I had. In fact, I implored them to tell me where I messed up. Those particular notes mean more to me than the ones that highlight what they think I did right.
If my pre-readers were to attempt to spare my feelings, I wouldn’t be able to craft a well-rounded story in the end. With that in mind, I’m always a little nervous once I hand those readers my manuscripts. Once handed over to those select few, all I can do is wait for them to finish reading the work in question so I can get their opinions and observations. And as I await those priceless thoughts, I find myself flashing back to my youth as I eagerly wait for Christmas morning to arrive so I can rip into all of the presents that are under the decorated Christmas tree or left in and around my stocking by the fireplace.
I have started to receive feedback from my trusted pre-readers. And the feedback I’ve gotten so far has been fantastic, a trend that I expect to continue as I receive the last of my excellent feedback. With each response, I’m getting a clear picture of what needs to be cleaned up and made sharper. And so armed with the concerns and criticisms of my pre-readers, I have already started thinking about how I’m going to incorporate their responses into the next revision of Drawing Thin.
So as I’m entering the final phase of this book’s journey to publication, I’ve realized just how much work will be required so I know that I will have to push back my target publication date by a few months. However, I’m still eager to bring this tale to the world and continue the story I began with Dead Man’s Hand.
So keep an eye here on the blog, for more updates on Drawing Thin‘s journey to publication, including sample chapters. These will be published once I’m finished making all of the changes from my pre-readers.