I have officially started editing the manuscript that, Squash willing, will become a marketable novel by the end of the year. I’m starting out by mapping out the plot, characters, and storyline threads, with the goal of breaking the novel down into bite-sized, easily digested chunks complete with cross-referencing links so I don’t lose track of details like character descriptions.

I have never done this before. I have no idea whether this will be a useful exercise or a waste of time. But I do know I was terrified of opening the manuscript up until I started doing this, so it’s already accomplished that, at least.