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Authors sometimes ask me, “How do you know when your book is finished?” I’ve known authors who couldn’t let go. They just kept rewriting and revising. Some continue on for years making changes to their stories or their nonfiction books. Ebook publishing is great for these authors as they can rewrite, revise and resubmit their books for publication in ebook form over and over again. I’ve done it once with my first in the Klepto Cat Mystery series, Catnapped. I pulled the original version, rewrote it and ultimately published the revised book just this month.

So when is your book finished? When you can walk away from it with a sense of satisfaction and pride—when you can concentrate on a new project—a sequel, perhaps.

How does it feel to finish a book? I’ve been writing for publication for forty years. I experienced the writing of my first book in 1978. And I can tell you it was exhilarating when I dotted my final i and crossed my final t. Until June of last year, I have always written nonfiction. I have had no problem finishing a book and being confident that it was complete. After having written and published 38 nonfiction books, I can tell you that the experience is always the same—I complete the book and never look back. For me, writing nonfiction is almost a science. You write what you know, you do tons of research, you organize the material logically and you present it so it is easily understood.

Fiction, however, is more art than science. There are more possibilities and options. You have more liberties with characters, the storyline, the tone of the story, the backdrop and every action that moves the story along. Sometimes the story writes itself. Sometimes you write yourself into a dead end, you decide to add a major new element to your story or you change the entire direction and theme of your story. Other times the story seems etched in stone—a done deal—unmovable. Right or wrong, you’re finished.

I finished Catnapped and Cat-Eye Witness—both part of my Klepto Cat Mystery Series several times. And that’s the beauty of the ebook. You can do a revision and resubmit it fairly easily. Just double check to make sure the new version is the one being sold to customers. I can tell you from experience, it is awfully embarrassing when you find out that you are promoting and selling the old version, after spending weeks doing a revision.

Read my first novel Catnapped. It’s on Kindle for $2.99 here: http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

Watch for Cat-Eye Witness soon.

I’ve been putting the finishing touches on Cat-Eye Witness—the 2nd in the Klepto Cat Mystery series for a few months now. I announce to friends and family that it’s done. Then I find myself editing it again—doing more minor revisions.

I’ve incorporated suggestions from seven readers and a proofreader into the final manuscript. I’ve read it through and did more editing at least two dozen times. I am ready to publish it—as soon as the cover art is completed.

Is it a good idea to farm your novel out to readers before publication? Many novelists like to (and probably should) invite people to read their stories before they are deemed finished. The benefits can be many—you receive validation, serious problems with the story or the characters may be identified, punctuation errors and typos will be caught. However, you might also receive some negative feedback—“your characters are not likable,” “they’re shallow” or “your story isn’t believable,” for example. The level of your attachment to your story and your characters will determine whether you can accept truly constructive criticism or not.

But what about the criticism that seems to be based on the other author’s or reader’s own vision?

There are hundreds—maybe thousands/millions—of ways to write a single story. And I’ve seen authors allow the opinions of others to interfere with the story they want to tell in the way they want to tell it. The thing is, every author and even many readers have an opinion about how they would engineer a story. Seldom are the visions of others relevant to your story—your way of telling your story. It’s a fine line between staying true to your story and listening to/accepting the valid suggestions of others.

An author who farms his/her manuscript out to be critiqued before publication must prepare on many levels. He needs a thick skin. He must detach enough from his project so he can view it without emotion. He must also be able to separate useful suggestions and critique from emotion-driven opinions.

Read my first attempt at a novel—Catnapped, a Klepto Cat Mystery. It has been revised for your Kindle. It’s just $2.99 at http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

Yesterday, we talked about using habit words and phrases—those comfortable, familiar terms we depend on to move our stories forward. This is not the same as repeating words in your text or stories. Habits phrase might be, “he looked over at her and said,” “and then,” (one of the habits I’m trying to break), “she shook her head back and forth,” “he watched her for a moment before speaking,” “she glanced in his direction,” and so forth. You may not even notice you’re using the same transition words and phrases over and over again, for example, until an editor or proofreader points it out or until you go through your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb.

Oops, there’s another no-no in writing—using clichés, when you should be coming up with fresh words, terms and phrases for your audiences. It’s okay to have your characters use clichés, if that’s the way they typically speak.

Repeating words is another issue. When editing, I often suggest to the author that he find new words to use in place of those he uses over and over again. Instead of saying, “I took my dog to a dog show during the dog days of summer and he had a blast watching the other dogs perform,” how about, “It was a sultry day in August when I took Ruff, my beagle mix, to a dog show. He had a blast watching all the different breeds perform.”

Instead of, “I went camping last week. I really enjoy camping. I can relax in camp. I enjoy getting out and hiking, but always look forward to coming back to camp every afternoon,” try, “I’m an avid camper. I went up to Pyramid Lake just last week and pitched my tent. What a great way to relax and enjoy nature.”

There are many, many things you have to watch for in your writing—the right tense and person, meaningful transitions, that your story flows nicely, grammar, punctuation and more. But, once you’ve put your story or information on paper or in the computer, also be sure to go back and check for those annoying habit words and phrases. While you’re at it, make sure your writing is interesting by expanding your vocabulary within your story or text.

Do you use certain words and phrases over and over in your writing? Do you have pet expressions that you use when writing fiction or nonfiction? Have you checked your finished manuscripts—even blog posts—for repeats? You should do it. You might be surprised.

You know that you probably shouldn’t use an interesting and unusual string of words more than once in a manuscript—unless it is the way of talking for a character, for example. But what about those connecting words we use—words we choose to move our story along or to create transitions? Are you overusing some of them?

My proofreader for the second in my Klepto Cat Mystery series suggested I reconsider my use of “and then.” When I began paying attention, I was astounded at how often I used this duo of words in my manuscript. They were invisible to me until my proofreader pointed them out. Now they stick out like–well, you know–a sore thumb. The last time I read through the manuscript, I wrote down other words, terms and phrases that appeared often. Yesterday, I searched for these to make sure I wasn’t overdoing it with some of them. What a wake-up call! I had no idea that I had these habit terms—phrases and words—that I clung to as a way to hold my story together—to move it along. This week, I will be working to eliminate and change them, thus, to streamline the story.

I challenge you to do a search on your current project. Are there words you use over and over again? How do you introduce characters? Introduce their next line? Set up a scene? Give a character personality? Give a character an action? Transition from one scene to the next? Are you using fresh words and terms or is your manuscript filled with the same, tired phrases?

When I write nonfiction, I tend to use, “of course” too often. I remember deleting dozens of instance of “of course” from one of my most recent book manuscripts. What are your habit words–your go-to phrases?