Hibernating

Deposit it inside a drawer for hibernation.
That’s what I just did with the manuscript of my latest book.

This is the step in my writing that I take very seriously. This is also the time when I spend my time doing nothing except celebrating. Hence, as has been my ritual on this blog-site when I celebrate, my header changes:

From here.

To here.

Am I making sense?

Not at all, not to anyone.

This one’s all about my personal writing process, which some people may find odd.

After furiously writing for months—writing, re-writing, revising, re-revising, editing, re-editing, printing the draft, tearing it up, re-printing, editing again—I finally come to a version I am comfortable with. But before I send it to my editor, I send it to a drawer to hibernate for at least two weeks.

During such time, I forget about it.

After the silent two weeks, I read it again.

And I see them! “Them” are those errors or lapses that escaped me. How did I ever miss them? Duh.

They glare at me saying, “Work, work, work some more!”

And I obey. I tweak and twist, push and pull all day, all night.

Then off to my editor the manuscript goes, right on time for my deadline.

There are many more steps and more months before the manuscript becomes a book if it all but that’s another saga I will blog about some other time.

Meanwhile, let me dwell in the grace of my manuscript’s hibernation.

“With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever…” Psalm 86:12 (NLT)

By the way, in case you’re interested, my book’s working title is “Present!”

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