Maybe you’re saying, “I don’t know! How will I know when it’s finished?” Here’s one way to tell…

Remember when your book was so cute and tiny? You loved it and couldn’t wait to spend every minute with it. Thoughts of it filled your days and nights. Every new achievement was cause for celebration—“It’s now 20,000 words!” or “I’m halfway done writing the first draft!” If you’re in this stage, your book is still an infant. It’s not finished.

Then things got hard and the newness wore off. The first draft was finished, and sometimes when you looked at sections, you beamed with pride. But most of it still had the literary equivalent of sticky fingers and muddy jeans and gum in its hair. When asked how it was coming, you mumbled, “Leave me alone” or “Shut up.” If you’re in this stage, your book is like a nine-year-old child…