It’s a question I ask daily with such fervor that it demands no less than three question marks, punctuation rules be damned!
The short version of the answer is simple. I’m still working on it.
The long version is… longer.
I had first planned to have Children finished by May. In retrospect, that plan was laughably naive. I then planned to have it done by August 2nd. In retrospect, that, too, was hopelessly optimistic, but at the time, I thought if I dropped everything else – blog posts, family time, weekend time, free time – that I’d be able to hit it.
July was brutal, and I still didn’t get it done.
I’ve come to realize the best line is the line Blizzard always trots out: it’ll be ready when it’s ready.
I’m close. I really am. But what I had originally expected to be a simple “fourth revision” of an existing manuscript has turned into something suspiciously resembling deleting and re-writing an entire novel. That takes time, but it has to be done. The draft before this one… let’s just say it did not meet my standards.
So I’m taking the time I need to get it right. The truth is, I will never really be happy with this book. I don’t think that’s possible. It’s set in a world that has always been with me, and doing it justice is a tremendously tall order. But I can certainly do better than that third draft, and that’s what I’m doing right now.
Hang in there. I’m as frustrated that it’s not done yet as you are, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure the final product will be worth the wait.