Sharon Dow

Once the manuscript was complete I experienced a feeling of accomplishment. If I could never take another step with it, I had done it! I had written a book! That was the first part of my dream fulfilled.

I made the decision that I would advance as far as possible with the story. If I could find a publisher, that would be my first preference. If no publisher materialized, I would self-publish. One way or the other, I would be able to hold my first book in print.

I spent several weeks editing the manuscript. Spell-check is the first line of defense, but as most of you know, it helps some but is not reliable to find all the errors. Once that was complete, I read through the entire manuscript on the computer, making changes, tweaking, adjusting the flow; anything I felt would improve the story.

Once that was done, I printed the pages and checked it once again, this time in hard copy. Maybe it’s from my years as a junior high teacher marking a multitude of papers, but I do my best editing when it is on paper in front of me.

About this time, a friend directed me to a public library that was hosting a “writer in residence.” I was able to sign up for one of his workshops. Fortunately the topic was, “How to Publish Book.” I learned many things from him. One of the most important was that you need to know when to stop working on your manuscript and consider it done. There are always changes you can make, but you must stop or it will never be published.

He also encouraged us to be prepared for rejections. Every author gets them. He said you must be prepared to believe in your book and keep going until you find the right publisher. I left with renewed determination to continue with the process.

Another thing I learned was that it is a worthwhile experience to enter writing contests. The library was holding one at that time, so I wrote a short story and entered it. I didn’t win, but the exercise of writing the story and preparing the manuscript was rewarding.

It’s interesting how so many factors come into play when you want to move ahead with a goal. When you are ready, let others know your goal; they’ll be alert to opportunities to help you along the way.

And never, ever give up on yourself. Believe in your work and go as far as is humanly possible. Others may enjoy your work, but only you will experience the satisfaction of accomplishing your goal.