Whew.

Last night I finished a draft of my latest work-in-progress, THE GOBLIN & THE WHALE. It’s technically a second draft, but I’ve spent the last six months rewriting it word-for-word from the first draft, so it feels like a brand new story. So in other words, I feel like this:

At the same time, it’s exhausting to think about how much work still lies ahead. Having gone through several drafts with my first book, and being in the middle of revisions with my second one, I already know that’s where the story really becomes a story. But it’s a hell of a lot of work.

So I’m going to set it aside for a few months while I let my beta readers do their thing. Not only will it feel fresh when I return for my first round of revisions, but the distance also lends me a measure of objectivity required for my own critical examination of the story.