There’s no turning back now. End of the line. Point of no return.
THE CHILD THIEF proofs are done. I’ve read through; I’ve gritted my teeth whenever I’ve seen something I want to change but can’t; I’ve dotted the t’s and crossed the i’s . . . no wait, is that . . .? oh, you know what I mean.
Anyway it’s done and now I have that feeling of helplessness. Reading the typeset page proofs is usually the last time I read my book (I haven’t read DRY SEASON or DARK HORIZONS since they were published) and it’s always a difficult read. I’ve been over the manuscript dozens of times. I know the story inside out. I know the characters inside out. But that last read-through is the one where I start to wonder . . . ‘could I have told this differently?’ ‘Have I done enough?’
But only you can tell me that now.
THE CHILD THIEF is out of my hands and soon it will be in yours.
Oh how exciting! It is weird doing that final read isn’t it? The anxiety over it hangs in the air for me until ‘the book’ arrives, then I am such a blubbering wreck that I couldn’t care less! Loads of luck with it Mr Dan 🙂 … and I will be buying a copy, just so I can point out any errors you’ve missed 😉
Errors? ERRORS? What do you mean, errors? Tcha!
Actually, those little gremlins do get through sometimes, don’t they?Amazing really, considering how many times it’s read before it’s published. I read it dozens of times (and I am Captain Grammar), my agent reads it, my editor reads and edits (natch), then the copy-editor, then the proof reader, then . . . Well, you know all this, of course. Still, EVEN THEN the little buggers get in there. I reckon they creep in when no one’s looking.
Just read this in the book I’m reading at the moment : “…he flew threw the air…”. No such thing as a perfect book! Happens to the best of ’em.
It’s not about Superman, is it!
I can just imagine how OCD I’m going to be when I get to this stage. I could mess about with my writing forever! I guess at some point, you have to let go, though, right? I’m sure THE CHILD THIEF will be wonderful, and if I do find any errors, I promise not to say anything. 😉
Well, you know what they say about a book never being finished, only abandoned . . . and I know where you’re coming from with the OCD, but, yes, you just have to let it go and hope people will like it.