Revision Bliss

In November 2008, I bashed out a 50,000-word middle grade novel for NaNoWriMo. It took me 17 days to finish, and afterwards, I let it sit for two weeks to gain a little distance from it.

Then I revised it.

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Next, I read and reread a few chunks to my extremely patient partner, and I let my mother and my sister read and critique the manuscript.

Then I revised it.

Soon after, I found a wonderful, generous, kind-but-appropriately-demanding, adverb-hating critique partner through an online message board and she read and responded to the manuscript.

Then I revised it.

I started submitting to agents and eventually one fantastic agent offered representation, along with excellent notes for revision of the novel.

So I revised it.

The agent started submitting to publishers and quickly sold the novel to a wonderful house. Shortly thereafter, the delightfully insightful editor sent me notes for revision of the novel.

So I revised it.

Then the brilliant and hawk-eyed copy editor read the manuscript and pointed out a few inconsistencies contained therein.

So I revised it.

Next, the extremely thorough proofreader and managing editor read it, and they, along with my editor, made more great notes for revision in the margins.

So I revised it.

After all this revising, I have just three questions left to answer.

Number one. As the creator of all these characters who are running around not knowing when they were born or which houses in their town are for sale or whether or not their feet hurt, shouldn't I be a little more well-informed about the answers to the questions said inconsistencies raise?

Letter B. Inconsistent w/ above. Change to "Number two." How is it possible that eight other people read the novel before the proofreader, but none of them pointed out my bizarre infatuation with the word “briskly”?

And, fourth, "Number three." Wwhat did I do to deserve being a part of this wonderful business? Whatever it was, I'm glad! This is so much fun!