Okay, so you have half of your latest epic novella written, spell-checked and neatly printed out and stacked into a readily waiting plastic folder with the rest of its predecessor chapters, all eagerly waiting for the day that the last chapter is added to the collection - so you can smile happily, make a dozen copies and chuck off to the nearest big time publishers, right?
Only in a perfect world.
Finishing the first draft is only the sure beginning to the journey of getting your epic adventure out there into the world. Strap on your harness and pull out your Indiana Jones hat, because it'll be a bumpy ride, full of pitfalls, self esteem slumps and the overwhelming desire to give up and find another job/hobby.
Writing for pleasure or profession both commands a certain amount of dedication, blood, sweat and tears. You are pouring every ounce of creativity into your project, you are feeding the flames and forging something new, shiny and beautiful. You are a writer, ultimately a literary warrior. If you want it, you fight hard for that first book to hit the shelves, you battle for that first book signing, the first person to ask you about your inspirations, ect.
We all have dreams - to do what we want most, we edit and edit and edit. Done editing? Comb back through the entire book for a second and third and maybe even forth go. Print out copies and distribute out to friends and family to get their opinions and reflections on the characters/plot/feel of the entire thing. Scour the bookshops for anything remotely similar that you may want to distance yourself from. (A prime example of this would be vampires!).
The bitter naked truth lies here: Draft, Edit, Comb, Edit, Opinions, Edit and finally then perhaps ready to be flooded out to publish.
Good luck, we all need it.
