Just Three Rounds... Probably

If you’ve been following my ramblings, you’ll know I’m currently deep into the second round of editing on my new novel. The plan is simple (on paper): three rounds. Just three. Then I let someone else read it.

Round three is supposed to be the final polish. The tightening. The smoothing out. The quiet whisper of “this is as good as I can make it.” But here’s the thing: Every time I go back over what I’ve written, I find something else I want to improve. A sentence that could hit harder. A moment that could breathe more. A small detail that suddenly feels essential.

So when do you stop?

At what point do you say, “That’s it. That’s enough. Time to let someone else in”?

This book means more to me than the first one did. It’s personal. Not in a confessional way, but because I’ve drawn on some of my own life experiences. Even though those things happened years ago, they still feel raw—and they still hit hard. As the saying goes: It’s emotional.

That’s why I want it to be the best I can possibly write. Not perfect (because perfection is a ghost), but true. And clean. And honest.

So yes, three rounds of editing. That’s the plan.

…Probably.

Okay, I might give it a final-final polish. Just to make sure.