I just finished a somewhat decent draft of 'Meet Your Match.' Ugh, I'm so bad at characterization. Basically I write the story and then I go back and add details like clothes and scenery and stuff. I was picking my poor sister's brain for the last few days...'Okay, Jack...I need another outfit!' I told her I'd name the main character after her, which I already did by the way, so it really wasn't much incentive, ha ha!
And Just a week ago, it was WAY TOO LONG!!! While I was writing it, I kept thinking...dash everything...this is no good, no good 'cause it kept stretching out longer and longer, but I figured I'd have to take care of that later. Well, I had my little sis Ash read it and she told me the parts that were 'the most' boring, so that I could cut those out first, and then we fought over what we would cut next. I think I broke her heart because I cut 100 pgs in one day! It was pure, pure torture, but I used that ms slashing procedure to do it (ruthless heart, shaking fingers, you know).
So, now I've just sent it out to my test group, the 'uneducated readers' as OSC would say. A bunch of friends who aren't editors at heart, but like a good read and are also painfully honest. It might help me cut it down even more once I get it back from them, I guess, though it's pretty good size now. They'll also help my guys be REAL guys (if there's a line a guy simply wouldn't say, it's out), that sorta thing. Ha ha, and I'm so in love with my bad guy...why does that always happen to me?
Anyhoo, I'd say I have about a week to two weeks to get it back from them and then I'm sending it to my publisher. What fun! Now, I can start Prank Wars!