Sorry for the all caps. I promise not to do that again. Unless I’m really, very excited about something. And I am really, very excited about this, to be fair.

I wrote a bloody book! I actually did it. I held a physical copy of the first draft in my hands. I let out a massive sigh of relief at the prospect of finally being finished. And then I remembered I still need to edit the damned thing.

The toughest part of the process is done, there’s no doubt about that, but I still have a lot of work to do to make this the very best book it can be. I stepped away from it to focus on other projects for a little while, and I now find myself waking up in the middle of the night, suddenly realising things I want to change, and thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. This is what an edit is for, I suppose.

I've already received the first round of notes from my editor. We’re meeting tomorrow to discuss her feedback in more detail, and then I will begin the impossible task of looking at my own work objectively. I’ll have to pull it apart, and put it back together, and probably kill a few of my darlings, but perhaps I’ll make some new, better darlings along the way.

I’ll keep you posted about this next part of the process, which I am quite nervous about. I’ve never edited a book before. But then, I’d never written a book before either and somehow I managed to make it through that in one piece.

Thank you as always for your support and for continuing to listen to my ramblings.

All the best,

Hazel