What's Done is Done

I just recently came across an old quote I wrote in a journal a long time ago: "Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it." It's attributed to Truman Capote. Sounds like something he would say. Maybe that is how it feels to finish a book for some people but I've never felt this way. I think part of the reason is that I've never finished a book. Not really anyway. I've come to the end, but that doesn't really mean I've finished. I've revised and revised, but never felt like I was truly finished. So that then begs the question, how do you know when your book is done? When do you reach the point that enough is enough, and it's the best it's ever going to be?

I've struggled with revision for most of my writing life, and it's only recently I've developed the discipline of going back over my written word and trying to fix it. But it's a tough business. With every draft you create, there seems to be more work added on. And then you give it to someone else to read and edit, and they have a whole new set of improvements for you to think on. Not to mention all the craft books out there telling you the steps to a perfectly revised novel. But you follow these steps and suddenly your book seems way too uptight. No more passive voice. Meticulously constructed plot that contains only the scenes that drive the plot forward, and leaves everything else out. So you realize, you've overdone it. And it's a lot harder to go back and unrevise than it is to revise.

So how do you know? I don't think I've reached an answer, but I have some ideas. A professor of mine once said the key to finishing a poem is distance. Write it down, then go back an hour later and fix it. Put it away for a day, then fix it again. Put it away for a week, then a month, maybe even a whole year if need be. Eventually you reach the point where you go back and can't see anything that needs to be done.

Sounds easy enough. But it can be a bit trickier with a novel. Still, I think distance can be useful. Revise it a few times, then step away from it for a few months. Go back through it again, then take another few months off. It might take more time, but at least you won't get so involved with it that you just end up destroying what little spontaneity and creativity is left in the thing.

Something else I've learned through the years is that reading out loud is always a good idea. I still feel pretty stupid reading my own words aloud to my empty room, but it does help. You always catch those points where you realize, something's got to change. It'll also help you make your dialogue sound more natural.

Finally, give your book to someone that fits the profile of your target audience. Hand them the manuscript and a pen, maybe some spare paper, and tell them to read and see what they think. Analyze their thoughts as a simple reader, rather than a fellow writer that's looking through your work with an analytical, editing eye. Because in the end, it's your audience that you want invested in your book.

That's all the little wisdom I have on the topic. It's something that I'm still discovering day by day. Perhaps sometime soon I'll know what it's like to feel finished, truly finished, with a novel. Or maybe there is no such thing. Because I've also heard an author say that even after he has been published, he still sees things that need changing. Your book may just be an endless occupation, and that's okay too.