I Printed My Manuscript (Alternatively, The Best Decision I've Ever Made)

So... I did something a little crazy...

I have read several times that you should print out your manuscript at some point during the editing process. Many people say this helps because the words look different on paper and it forces you to slow down and really focus on the words, which is hard to do on a computer screen. 

So I did. I printed my manuscript. 

You guys... Printing this thing out did SO much more for me than just forcing me to slow down when I read.

Here it is.... I got it printed professionally, mostly because I didn't want to wait for 372 pages to print (and yes, it is 372 pages... cue squeals of glee), and because they bind it when you print professionally. I don't exactly have a stapler that goes through that much paper. 

So there it is. Isn't that cool? (By the way, the formatting of that first page is courtesy of Scrivener's manuscript compiling formatting... it's the best). 

Here it is from a cool, artsy diagonal angle. You can now appreciate the really nice binding the print shop put on it for me.

So pretty exciting right? Just you wait, it gets cooler...

Here it is from the side.

Y'ALL. Look how FREAKING THICK it is! It's so huge! When I picked it up at the print shop, the first thing I said when they put it on the counter was, "Oh my goodness, that is so much bigger than I thought it was." 

So I haven't actually started editing it yet, but I have flipped through it casually and noticed errors that I didn't catch in the first 4 read throughs. So, the good news is that printing it out really does work.

The BETTER news is that it's a FREAKING BOOK. Intellectually, I knew that my novel was 83,700 words (which is conveniently printed on the first page). I knew that when I exported it from Scrivener to Word that it amounted to about 372 pages. But seeing how much paper that amounts to is the craziest feeling in the world. The first time I flipped through it, I actually teared up from the overwhelming excitement. There's something very satisfying about holding 372 pieces of paper with words on it in your hand and being able to say, "I wrote every single word on every page of this." 

(I also may or may not be obsessively staring at it 24/7 now... but that's a whole other personal issue...)

If I ever needed encouragement to finish editing this so I can send it out (and believe me, sometimes I do need it), then gosh darn it, printing the bad boy out was the way to do it. Seeing the sheer size of the thing made me so ecstatically happy.

If you're in the editing process, print the thing out. Seriously, just do it. That's all I have to say.

Also, scroll back up and look at my book again. Just because you can. It's not like I'm obsessed with it or anything. 

KMG