Done! 84,775 words & 294 pages. But Not Yet Finished.

To write is human, to edit is divine. --- Stephen King

Earlier this week, I completed a rewrite of my thriller novel, landing a tad short of 89k words and 300 pages. I'm feeling good. Feeling like a rockstar. Ready to tour the world five times over. In fact ...

Hello, LA Times Book Festival ... here I come. Your next world-class, author panelist ... Renee Coloman! Indeed, I can taste the fresh oysters and bubbly champagne. Hear the crowd chanting my name. Smell the pages of my hardcover book and a Sharpie for my fancy autograph.

Too bad I have to open my eyes and see the truth. A writer's life is never that easy.

Draft after draft after draft, we suffer. Getting no sleep. Burning our eyes to get the story right. But I believe in the process. I wear a tee shirt reminding me: Write. Rewrite. Re-rewrite. Yep. That's where I am. Smack in the middle. Hovering at phase 2: Rewrite. Working now on strumming along towards what I hope will be a final re-rewrite (finger's crossed). Because three is a magical number. I believe in three. I believe in me.

My next step prior to the re-rewrite phase is the tedious part > editing the current manuscript. Blah. Editing is the kryptonite to my writing existence. I fold. I crumple. I slink away, busying myself with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. I'd rather fatten up than edit my work---write another hundred pages of my next creative fiction. A Sci-Fi series. A speculative short story. A poem that doesn't rhyme but could be a Missy Elliot song. Ratatata!

Nope. Not this time. I promised myself. Already, I have a stack of four, first-draft manuscripts waiting for the rewrite phase. I really have to stop buying ice cream.

Surprise! I tell myself. I'm committed. This go 'round will be different. Because ... I have a secret plan -- foolproof habit -- that will engage and enroll me into completing a detailed analysis of each of my 38 chapters thereby identifying areas for enhancements to secure a final, marketable finished re-rewritten draft. The sales pitch is working!

Uh-huh. Yep. I'm 11 chapters in, as of today. With a goal of accomplishing 2-3 chapters per day (a commitment of 2-3 hours) until I've captured all 38 chapters. Then, a full read of the manuscript. Then, the re-rewrite.

It's happening, and there ain't nothing to stop me but my silly craving for ice cream.

Hmmm. Maybe I should toss out all the spoons in my house. Maybe fill the freezer, top to bottom, with bags of ice. Just to be safe.

Stay tuned for a delish teaser about my manuscript in progress: A coming-of-age thriller about Riley who discovers the death of her toddler brother was no accident.

Thanks for reading today's post. Leave a comment. I'm always happy to make a new friend.