Diminishing Returns in Editing My Work-in-Progress (Which Means I’m Close!)

The last time I wrote about my current work-in-progress was in mid-March. At that point, I had finished Draft 3, and was starting Draft 4. In the three months since that post, I finished Draft 4 (during which I had Word read the book aloud to me), and then I sent the manuscript to seven beta readers in late May. While they worked, I completed Draft 5.

I gave the beta readers a deadline of June 15, and all of them sent me their feedback on time. None of the input is too overwhelming. In general, the beta readers liked the character development of my protagonists, understood the plot, and despised my villains. So I have written a decent novel.

Although there were some common themes to the critical feedback, some readers liked aspects of the book that others thought dragged. Some understood why I dwelt on certain themes and plot points, while others thought I overdid it. I can’t please everyone, though I will focus on refining these aspects as I edit the draft again.

Fortuitously, while I was reviewing the beta reader feedback, I read a recent blog post by Seth Harwood on Jane Friedman’s website, titled “When to Let Go: Recognize the Point of Diminishing Returns in Revision.” Harwood discussed the “revision trap” writers can fall into when they strive for perfection when editing their work. No writer is perfect, and what we think is right in one editing pass might not seem right on the next pass. We reach diminishing returns in the improvements our revisions make.

Harwood’s description of “Done” when editing is

“the best I can make it within the constraints of time, energy, and my current skill level.”

While I don’t think my work-in-progress is quite as good as I can make it with the time and energy and skills I have now, it is getting close. So I will make this be my last pass, except for reviewing the proof.

Harwood’s post also made two other points that resonated with me:

• Authors must recognize that creation is never truly finished—it’s simply released at a point where it can begin its life in the world.
• Growth as a writer continues past each manuscript. The skills we develop in the next project will far outpace what we might gain from yet one more revision on this project.

As I make my final revisions, I will focus on what I can revise easily—minor sculpting, as opposed to a wholesale rewrite. My intent is to make one more pass through the novel to tweak points the beta readers raised. Then I will send it to Amazon for a proof copy, and read through the proof with the intent of only fixing typos.

And then I will hit publish!

These remaining steps all sound easy as I write this post. But I have enough experience now to know that there will be glitches. Something won’t look right on the cover. Or I’ll end up with a single line on a printed page. Or I’ll decide at the last minute to change the back cover blurb.

Still, I also have enough experience that I know I can work through these problems, and I am excited to have reached this final phase of editing. And then I will move on to developing my skills on my next project.

When do you know you have hit diminishing returns on your projects?