Given the changes that have been made to my manuscript, including the name, and with the knowledge that I could be asked to read from it, I’m currently reading the whole thing out loud. I’ve downloaded it to my Kindle so it feels different to reading it on my laptop screen.
This is the E-Reader stage.
Last night, I went to my bi-monthly writer’s group meet-up. By that, I mean we meet up twice a month not every other month. It does me good to get out of the house, to be around other writers, and to reflect on what I have been working on.
I had every intention of reading the latest version of Chapter One. As it turned out, even with half the group absent, we filled two hours with others readings and general updates. I think people wanted to hear more about my time at the HarperCollins office.
The positive to take from the months of edits I have done while working out what my personal life looks like now is how the story looks on the page after all this work. I have never committed myself to one project for so long. Weirdly, that includes romantic relationships. It has been gruelling in the best way. I’ve been forced to confront how I write, what I do and how that works. There have been times when I thought we would never get here but it’s now very fucking real and very fucking cool.
When this is done, I will not sit. I will not relent. I will continue to grind.
Because as much as I love this story and cannot wait to share it with the world, I am ready for edits on the next one. Then, when I send that off, I’ll work out what comes next. It’s an insane approach but I refuse to switch it off.
Paul Schiernecker 
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