Now, halfway through the first draft of “The Overview Effect: A New Perspective”, I realize I must delete nearly 5,000 words. New research, character growth, and a great deal of redundancy means I need to take a couple steps backward before I can take another forward. Some reviews from my self-published first novel said the book didn’t have structure or much of a plot. I’ve learned and am trying to correct for my second attempt.
I am suffering from Imposter Syndrome because word count is the only way to know the project is moving forward. A 5,000-word deletion is a big kick in the stones to give oneself. It’s all about making the story as good and clean as I can before sending a finished manuscript to a literary agent.
Stage one of my marketing plan is working. Several guys down at my day job are reading my first novel. I am keeping a buzz going, but ever so subtly. I make sure I pop into a lunchroom a couple times a week to see if there is dirt on the pages, bookmarks, or folded corners. I would be happiest if it were read so much, the cover falls off and is held on with duct tape.
Sci-Fi for the Working Guy