Stick a Fork in It?

In a back and forth email discussion about our works in progress, a writer

friend wrote this about her novel: “I'm sure there are at least fifty more things I could change, but at some point you just have to stick a fork in it.” I love this line because I get her point. And I relate to it. Plus it made me laugh. When it comes to the little fixes in a manuscript, revising could be a lifelong process.

In Writing Magic, Gayle Carson Levine writes: “There is no such thing as a perfect book or a perfect story. Every book in every library on this planet has something wrong with it.” Her point is that perfection is unattainable. And it doesn’t matter. Readers want a story that they can be involved with. Most people probably care less about a description that goes on a bit too long than they do about the characters and the plot. What do you think?

I never feel like my work is perfect. Never. But, as my friend wrote, I know that there comes a time to “stick a fork in it.” For me, this is usually when I can’t stand to read the story any more. I feel like someone has stuck a fork in me.

Do you feel you’ve reached perfection when you have finished revising a manuscript? If not, do you itch to keep fixing or do you let it go?

And when you are reading, do you notice minor issues that need fixing? Or do you tune out the imperfections and swim in the world of the story with the characters?

P.S.: A big THANK YOU to Maeve at http://lollipopscottage.blogspot.com/ for the Versatile Blogger Award! : )

Manuscript Vacations

I would love to know why taking a break from writing and revising a manuscript gives fresh perspective of that work. It is one of those miracles of writing. A writer sends a manuscript away to a cozy drawer or corner hide-away on the computer for a bit and somehow the brain breathes and revives (or something) so that when it’s time to reunite with the manuscript, there is often magic. There is a fresh perspective that smells a lot like clarity. For me, it’s kind of like putting in fresh contacts. This works especially well when I’m not happy with something I’ve written—when things are not working and I’m ripping out way too much hair.

How long a break? I’ve read that a healthy break for a book-length manuscript is a month, which is about right for me. Here’s the rub, though: I am really impatient. I mean, REALLY impatient. A month might as well be a year. With that in mind, here are some things that I do to distract myself while my manuscript vacations:

Go on my own vacation. I wish. Unfortunately, escaping to some tropical paradise for a month break doesn’t usually work out for me, but it’s a nice fantasy.

Get organized. While I’m finishing a novel, I put off tons of life stuff. A manuscript vacation is the perfect time to catch up on everything. This includes cleaning my office, which usually has dropped books and magazines, too many pages, pens, notes, and all kinds of scary miscellaneous stuff in a bizarre semi-circle around my desk by the time I type “The End.” Finding the floor and getting back to some level of organization is therapeutic.

Start a new novel. This is my agent’s favorite way for his clients to take their minds off of finished projects. I agree. Immersing in a new project is very distracting. The only catch is the necessity of taking a break from the new project when it’s time to revisit the one that’s been on vacation.

Revisit life. This includes retail therapy (a.k.a. shopping), meeting pals for lunch (and probably picking up the bill since I’ve been ignoring them), exercising, and generally indulging in treats that I put off for the sake of the work in progress.

Do you put your manuscripts away for a while after you’ve finished them? If so, how do you distract yourself during manuscript vacations?