You have finished your first draft, successfully taken your characters from the opening pages through several disasters, and given them a smashing conclusion. You wrote “the end,” so now you’re finished! Time to upload it to Amazon and wait for the accolades to roll in.

STOP! If you value your reputation, you won’t rush to publish that mess just yet.

In my previous post, I outlined the stages of book construction using a traditional phased method of project management.

1. The Concept. Make a note of that brilliant idea. Write it down, so you don’t forget it.
2. The Planning Phase is where I create an outline. Some people don’t need this step, but I do.
3. The Construction Phase—write the first draft from beginning to the end.
4. Monitoring and Controlling—For writers, this is actually a continuation of step three, a part of the construction phase. This is…