The End of a Manuscript

It seems to me that one big thing writers struggle with is the end of a manuscript. I know that statement can mean a whole lot but what I’m talking about specifically is when a manuscript is done, not the last few pages of a story. I should know, I just finished one and it was inspiration for my roadblock blog a couple weeks ago. But seriously, how do we know when our manuscript is done? Well, I don’t know if I have the complete answer to that but I do have some tips:

1)      Step away from the manuscript. I had my critique partner tell me this as she was trying to do a beta. The reason I say trying is because I kept sending her updated versions from things I thought needed changing. It is important for you to give your manuscript a chance to breathe after you write it. It also gives you a chance to let your mind freshen up for another look later.

2)      Read your manuscript aloud. Okay, once you’ve let your manuscript breathe and you can tolerate going back to it (we all know that at some point you just can’t stand looking at it anymore), take the time to read it aloud. It is great for catching issues with flow, spelling, grammar and if you read it within a shorter period, plot issues.

3)      Have others beta read or skim through your manuscript. Many times, it is hard to determine (by the time we’ve spent so much time with our manuscript) whether it is too long or too short, whether it has too much plot or too little and whether our readers will understand what we writers are trying to convey. Another set of eyes or two can help you catch these key, deal-breaking issues.

4)      Read through the publisher’s submission guidelines and apply them to your manuscript. This is a huge area where writers mess up. Each publisher and/or agent may have very different guidelines or formats. Some don’t have any specifics at all. Either way, it is important for you to review them as it would be a pity to have your manuscript turned away for something other than your actually story/writing.

5)      Let it go. Last but not least on this list of tips is letting the manuscript go. Sometimes we have trouble admitting when something is done. The truth is that there were always be improvements we can make but at some point (especially as writing is a craft we constantly learn), you just have to let it go and trust that you’ve done the best you could.

Hope these tips help you get that manuscript off to a publisher so you can start a new one. If any of you all have some other tips, please feel free to share. Happy writing this week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life, Writing Topics