From "My" Agent

"Please do query me on the YA when you have it completely done."

My very first reaction (aloud): "Is there such a thing as 'completely done'?"

I gave myself a July 31st deadline. I wish I'd given myself a one-month plan.

As much as I love revising and tinkering with manuscripts, I still find the idea of revising and editing a book manuscript daunting. I need to develop a system, a method. Or find someone else's that works well for me.

Where do I get stuck? I get stuck in the flood of "perhaps-es" and differing suggestions all of which have merit. I tend to want to discard the suggestions that require extensive re-writing, but is that because I know the story or because I'm lazy about doing that much revision? I get lost in looking for strong verbs and active nouns. Or is it the other way around? LOL! Of course it is. I worry about what I don't know, what I do know and have forgotten, and what blatant thing will slip under the radar and brand me as incompetent or foolish. There goes my friend Carol's voice, "You have to have POSITIVE thoughts!" Well, I'm positive that I'm feeling my way through the dark in this endeavor.

So I guess I need to set goals. I need to number the pages and set a page revision goal. Or I need to divide the book into chapters and set chapter goals. Or I need to develop a method of working though the manuscript, focusing on different areas and set goals based on that.

I worry about the reality of the dialog. I worry about the strength of the setting. I worry about word whiskers "pretty," "very," "really." I worry about rushing the ending, minimizing the conflict. I worry about not deepening the emotional pull enough. I keep coming up with good ideas to tie little pieces together with little golden threads. Will the "sewing" be recognized? Or appreciated without being recognized?

Ack! Think I'll post over on Momwriters.

Of course ANY feedback would be appreciated.

And look for my Book Tag response tomorrow.

I'm hitting send from my ds's computer. Hope it goes through. I'll look before I post it a second time. :)