The End is Nigh

So we’ve reached a new stage in writing Swords of Winter. Today we finished the last edit of the novel. Despite two years of editing and rewriting, we never actually had a complete manuscript. We now have the book as a complete piece of work and it’s ready for beta readers. It’s a pretty strange feeling to think the editing is almost over and we’ll soon be able to start writing new chapters for the second book. Thankfully, we already have 50,000 words down on paper for the sequel and what’s left to write are chapters that will fit into storyline gaps and the all-important final chapter.

We’re both really looking forward to being able to let our creativity free again, and write new scenes and characters into our story. After so many months of editing, the fun has really been drained out of writing lately and getting that enjoyment back will be amazing.

We have come to realise that the editing is undoubtedly the evil aftermath of the fun stuff. However, this doesn’t mean you can skimp on it. To have a half-polished book is something neither of us ever want to be associated with. Like every job there’s a hard side, and if that means editing only a handful of pages in a day, then so be it. The hardest part of indie publishing is that there’s no one pushing you to achieve goals and that can mean you take shortcuts. The best part about having a cowriter, is the urge to keep your standards high. You have the added pressure of someone expecting a standard equal to or above his or her own. And the constant critiquing from your partner can only ever help your abilities as a writer.

Finally, if anyone is following the blog and would like to help out beta reading, just send us an email through our contact page.