Tyler Hillis

The second draft is finished…but the work is far from over.

The next step is to get this thing (this magnificent, obsessive, pain-in-the-ass thing) in front of other people. I need some miniscule amount of validation to confirm that what I’ve started is worth continuing.

My first generous readers will be a litmus test. Yes, I will encourage them to provide as much feedback as they can – including grammar and punctuation marks. But what I really want to know is if the bones are solid.

I think, if (once) I have a couple published books under my belt, I will ease into trusting my writing instinct and not getting feedback on early drafts. My instinct right now is shouting that this book is good enough to be published (or at least is well on its way to be). But the small nagging voice in the deepest parts of my subconscious continues to whisper doubt.

Feedback might snuff it out once and for all.

It won’t, I know. Doubt always has and always will linger around creativity. It is inevitable.

But it will at least quiet it so that I can focus on my next few drafts with more confidence.

After feedback is gathered and a few more drafts are completed, well, I will make a few more drafts. Some recent advice I received was to edit until you are sick of reading it, and then edit it some more.

Once I begin reaching out to agents/publishers to try to pitch this thing, more edits are inevitable. But coming with an already heavily edited manuscript can only improve my chances of catching the attention of publishers.

Overall, I am feeling more creative and inspired than I ever have. I’m trying my best to bottle this drive and put it into the work as best I can.