This little piggie (one day soon) will go to market

I've been working on finishing the switch from first- to third-person with my second manuscript, Pigs Fly.  I wanted to get that done, so I could send it out to my beta readers and start getting feedback.  I want to get a nice slew of first-round, nonwriter feedback from friends to apply before I start sending it to my League of Utah Writers group a chapter or two at a time.  I didn't do this with my first manuscript because it was a little too personal, a little too religious, for the people I tend to find in League.  Also, I didn't know this handy dandy online-only group existed when I was sending it out to readers.  Now, I have global feedback to apply from a professional editor.  However, manuscript two is more conventional, something with which this group will do well.



In the meantime, I'll be launching into a hardcore reboot based on two sets of global feedback, one from a stellar writer from League and one from that editor.  I know the story from After the Dream needs to get out there, but I also know it's not ready yet for another submission to a publisher.  I'm so close to sending it in for consideration for publication that it drives me nuts.  I just need to work through the feedback.  I can do this.  And I will.

Enjoyment

I haven't gotten to the meat of reviewing the manuscript I had the editor go over, After the Dream, though I've started it.  I'm right now focusing on finishing turning its sequel, Pigs Fly, into 3rd person since 1st person from two perspectives was not working for many people.  It's a long, tedious process.  However, I'm finding it enjoyable because I quite like the characters and the story.  Which tells me readers are more likely to enjoy it.  I've heard it said that if a scene from your story makes you laugh or cry--feel something--chances are good you'll get a similar reaction in your reader.

Here's one of my problems with the first manuscript, the one I've been procrastinating: I've gone over it so many times that it's hard to view it with new eyes.  It's difficult to feel all I'm supposed to feel with it anymore because it's hard to gain any distance.  One major reason I haven't tackled it yet is because I'm trying to achieve that emotional distance again, to be able to see it with eyes as fresh as possible.  But I haven't actually read the second one all the way through, yet.  It's still fresh to begin with.  It's much easier to enjoy because I've only ever read it once, maybe bits of it twice, including when I first wrote it.  I imagine I'll get tired of it, too, one day.  But the manuscripts need to be published in order for them to make sense.  Soon, I'll be done with the work on Pigs Fly and will get back to After the Dream.  In the meantime, I will keep enjoying that second manuscript as I ready it for my alpha and beta readers.