The very ORIGINAL draft (then titled Hunted) was an eye-bulging 180,000 words. Since then I've cut and honed it and, while the essence is the same, the writing is tighter, story-line improved, AND the word count is now down to 85,000.
Whoo-hoo-hoo - big difference!
I say again: once 180K is now 85K.
I never thought THAT would be possible - ever. But I pushed myself and made the cuts I never thought I'd be able to. Lo and behold, it reads so much smoother and tighter! So everyone, never be afraid to cut (as well as rewrite). Yes, every word is an extension of your soul, I know, but... sometimes your soul is a little too clingy and you have to learn to let go. Burn those bridges. You'll be better off.
And now after all that, I've prepped it to the point that I've started the querying process up. Going to have to double up on my happy meds for sure; life's anxious enough without querying agents about your manuscript you've slaved over. Yes, that was purposely melodramatic. ;) One thing is definitely for sure, though - you absolutely must love what you do because this is not the right business to coddle your self-esteem lol.
I'll leave it at that. Just wanted a quick update on my recent endeavors.
Until next time!
Katie S. Taylor
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