Draft Four and Still Standing: My Author Journey to (Hopefully) Getting Published

Draft four has landed me at that strange crossroads where I don’t want to change anything about my manuscript, while simultaneously wanting to change everything about my manuscript. I’m don’t know how I can both love and hate something so much. But that’s where I’m at! The editing trenches! 

Quick Recap: How I Got Here

For the newbies, hello! I’m N.L. Grace, a young adult fantasy author with aspirations of one day getting a traditional publishing deal. I started the first draft of what I hope is my debut novel in 2025. I’d just gotten married, moved to a new city, and decided to take my dream of becoming an author seriously. 

In just over three months, I outlined, drafted, and edited what I’ll refer to as ‘TTWT’. An Iron John fairytale spin-off about a cursed kingdom, a determined princess, and a history of lies. The first part of TTWT’s process turned out to be the easiest. 

As 2025 wrapped up, I did a second round of editing, sent the manuscript out to Alpha Readers and then did a third edit. Wanting to do one last read through to make sure draft three’s changes made sense, I dove into my story trying to hang onto the perspective of a reader. 

You can imagine how that went. Not even a third of the way through, I already had a big revision that needed to be made. And so, I ended up here. 

Draft Four, The Editing Slump

You would think a final read through would take about a week.

For me, it’s been four months. 

Something about rereading the same line over and over again just doesn’t hit the same as writing something new. I can’t seem to find the motivation to pick up my book and read because I know something is going to pop out at me and scream “Look over here! I need fixing!” 

Not only has this put me in a writing slump, but for the life of me I can’t seem to pick up other books either. While I was drafting, reading the works of other authors was my biggest motivation. My best inspiration. Now, I spend so much time staring at my own words that thinking of staring at someone else's just makes me exhausted.

I’m halfway through my reread of TTWT and haven’t even started making the edits. So, where do I go from here?

The Search For A Developmental Editor

At this point I feel a bit defeated and exhausted. Honestly, I think what my manuscript needs is a fresh pair of professional eyes. That’s why I’ve started the hunt for a developmental editor. 

I’ve dove into researching editors that are both new to the scene and veterans of the game. Where am I looking? Instagram. Reedsy. Google. LinkedIn. Pretty much anywhere there’s a possibility and a search engine. 

Do I still plan on finishing this fourth draft before I hire? Yes, I do. If there are big things I know can be better, I want to fix those before I send it out. 

However, I’m working really hard not to focus on the little things. The sentence structure. The word choice. The impact moments.

Instead, I’m narrowing in on plot, character development, and world building. These bigger things are what matter most right now. Harping on the small things would only be a waste of time, especially if they end up getting cut anyway. 

While I still feel like I’m drowning in a sea of edits most of the time, looking into the larger corrections has made this draft feel much more manageable. 

What My Author Journey Has Taught Me (So Far)

Honestly, this phase of the writing process has taught me the most. 

Why? Because I don’t like it. 

I’ll be straight up! I would rather write 100 first drafts than edit a single sentence. That’s just what I love to do. However, I have learned more about the craft of writing, and about myself in general, during this phase than any other. 

Things I’ve Learned About Myself As A Writer:

• I over explain… a lot 

• Small details stick out the most to me

• An outline is a MUST 

• Knowing my characters deeply helps immensely 

• Explaining settings is not my strong suit

• Emotional impact points are my favorite to write

Things I’ve Learned About Myself As A Person:

• New projects excite me 

• Procrastinating comes easily… even when I try not to let it 

• Dedicated time specifically to my novel is key 

• Working through nonmotivation isn’t fun, but it is necessary 

• Reading inspires me to write

• I am my harshest critic 

The one constant throughout this entire process? I want my books to be on the shelf.

No matter how long it takes. No matter how many rounds of edits I have to do. Even if this manuscript isn’t the one that ends up getting published, my dream of becoming a traditionally published author is alive and well!

So far, my author journey has taken me from a very quick drafting stage to an embarrassingly slow editing stage. Still, it has been one of the best adventures of my life. 

I wrote a book. From start to finish. The story is there, it just needs a little polishing. 

As I try (very hard) to wrap up this last round of self-edits, I can’t help but get a little giddy about what the future holds. TTWT has a long way to go. Developmental edits. Copy edits. Line edits. Probably other edits I don’t even know about. 

But we’re here. We’re taking this author journey by the reins and racing forward, wherever forward may lead. 

Thanks for coming along!