The second draft of The Next Novel is being read right now by Dan Smetanka, a wonderful free lance editor in L.A. Am I nervous? You bet! This is its first public airing. In preparation for the next revision ? the third draft ? I’m rereading it myself. I’ve been dreading doing this, but now that I’m a good 100 pages in, I feel more at ease.
Not that there aren’t problems, both big and small. I’ve a lot of work ahead. I marvel at the writers who are able to create a coherent novel in a year or two.
The small problems are almost amusing. Who was the author who advised his daughter, also a writer, to “always make sure that the moon is in the right place”? This is basically saying: attend to the details. I had to laugh: one scene opens in spring and in the course of a few hours moves into fall and then winter. It’s a good thing Dan has a sense of humor.
