What do you do after you've completed a book?

I mean right after you write "END" at the end, and you sit back to admire your accomplishment.  In one sense you're done writing, all the hard work is complete.  Sort of. 

But there's still plenty of detail stuff to do.  There's general editing, lining up a reader or two if you don't already have them.  There's consistency checking, characters whose names have changed without a reason halfway through the story.  You'll find out that you started out capitalizing a title, name, or word like Seaborn, but somewhere forty-odd-thousand words into the thing, you decided that it no longer needed to be capitalized, and then everywhere it's just seaborn.  In my own experience, I will also leave sections of a few chapters incomplete, a few lines of dialogue, a paragraph of action with a line describing what's about to happen--without ever making it happen.  I had five of these incomplete sections in The New Sirens (my latest, completed late last Wednesday night).  These are usually the result of being too excited about getting to a later scene, jumping a few squares ahead in the game, and telling myself I'll be right back--and then I never do.  I like to print out a copy right after finishing, and go at it.  I'll find myself cutting stuff that seemed really important when I began, but now that I'm done, just isn't anymore. 

Is there anything interesting or odd or even normal you do right after finishing a book?

Comments

[Skott Klebe]

1. Add a new Chapter 5.
2. Rewrite Chapter 4 so new Chapter 5 makes sense.
3. Go back to Chapter 1, change one line to make new Chapter 4 make sense.
4. Update Chapters 2 and 3 to accommodate the effects of that one-line change, originally motivated by that new Chapter 5.
5. Fix Chapter 4 again, recovering from the rippling effects of that one line change in Chapter 1.
6. At last, begin rewriting forward, making minor edits to Chapter 6 (formerly Chapter 5) and Chapter 7 (formerly Chapter 6)
7. The shit hits the fan. Chapter 8 now needs to be rewritten from scratch. Longingly contemplate working instead on novel #2 (unfinished) or novel #3 (unfinished). Play Kingdom of Loathing instead.
8. Rewrite Chapter 8 (formerly Chapter 7), doing beautiful job, loving every minute of it. Unfortunately, it's in third person objective instead of first person.
9. Rewrite Chapter 9 (formerly Chapter 8) in third person.
10. Start the third-person rewrite of Chapter 10 (formerly Chapter 9). Realize that this is how I got into this problem in the first place.
11. Rewrite first 1000 words of Chapter 1.
12. Rewrite first 1000 words of Chapter 1 again.
13. Write new Chapter 1, occurring entirely before existing Chapter 1. I've been wanting to tell this part of the story for ages, wrote thousands of words at it, couldn't do it. Now it works.
13. Rewrite Chapter 1, now Chapter 2. Was 6500 words, a long goddamn chapter. Now it's 4500 words, every one of which I like better than the old version.
14. I'll let you know...

[SMD]

I don't even want to think about what I have to do when I finish my first novel for publication (I have two novels I'm putting on my blog just for the heck of it, and then one that I am taking with the utmost seriousness). Editing sounds worse than the writing :P, especially if you look at the post before mine :S

[Chris Howard]

I forwarded your list on to Yasmin, Skott, and well, let's just say, she's a bit disappointed. She gave me this sort of blank big-eyed stare, put on her dancing shoes, and said you need one more item on your list: 15. Sit my ass down in front of a keyboard and do more writing. Man, she's vicious.

Hey, SMD! I don't know what other's feel, but to me, editing right after completing the book is the easiest work. That's when I'm still riding the high of getting over the finish line. But as time goes by, it becomes more difficult.

[sylviakelso]

After finishing a book...? As in, novel?

Siddown and pant.

Drink a beer.

Light a candle to St. Dismas.

Go away and *do something else* for at least 3 weeks.

Chris, I meant to get on here before and congratulate you on Getting There with the Sirens. Huzzah! Heroic!

Now let's see some more pictures of it, hnnn? Hnnn?

SK (currently panting halfway through the Wind Follower paper that has to be delivered at Easter. Arrrrhhhhhhhh....)

[Chris Howard]

Thanks, Sylvia! I don't normally bring in Dismas. Have to try that. All the rest sounds good, but never happens, unless you count the 3 weeks doing something else as moving on to the next book. I have already pitched another novel to an editor who has asked to see a couple chapters and an outline.

I have some great ideas for paintings, but not from Sirens--from the next new thing. Think you'll like this. Just have to make time. I have none. Down to counting seconds. I'm out all weekend at Boskone 45, and then flying out to San Fran on Sunday for the GDC (Game Developers Conference).

You're delivering your Wind Follower paper at WisCon? You're on a panel or two there, right?

Cheers!

[Carole McDonnell]

I so don't trust myself that I have a little book where I include all the stuff I have to do. First I go through the book, looking for XXX , my place markers
and looking for my personal writerly tics....which are many

I send the scary troublesome parts to crit friends

I get ready for the drafts and revisions.

[Chris Howard]

Hi Carole! It looks like our processes are almost the same. I agree, critical readers are extremely important at this point, when you can give them the whole story. We do chapter crits in my group, but it's difficult, or just limited by the small chunk of available story.