Hmm, hitting a problem this week. I had thought my current dilemma to be one thing when in fact it was something else.
I was busy deciding between sending my decidedly complete novel to agents/publishers or cracking on with book two of said completed novel. Then it happened, quite suddenly whilst distracted by wedding planning (did I mention forthcoming nuptuals?). My book, the aforementioned completed item, might be better if I just tweaked a scene or two… then ALL.
My main protagonist needs to be more fearful, more gobby (yes, a decidedly English character would be gobby rather than sharp tongued/quick witted), secondary protagonist needs to be more fearsome. Then the realisation that with all this amping up of main characters the secondary characters need to step up their game.
So is this inner editor on overtime right, thus making me wrong when I declared the book finished, or is this just a continuous process? Do you always think that it could just be a little more?
I have read about one author that continues to edit even AFTER publication (sadly I can’t remember her name). Is it a publishers job to call time? That would make me under qualified to pronounce time on the tome…
Tell me when do you stop?
jakiedwards 
Prob never…it is not in human nature to quit…especially on something we put our blood, sweat, and tears into.
This isn’t going to be a very useful comment, so I apologise in advance.
I’ve not actually finished my first novel (and have a few half written follow-ups sitting on the back burner). At the moment this is ok because there are glaring gaps which need to be filled in before the story runs smoothly. What I’m wondering is whether, once those gaps are filled, I’ll look at it again and decide, given all the additions, if it might not need just one more little re-write…?
I guess you could show two versions of a sample chapter or two to someone in the biz (not an agent exactly) or someone you trust to be very critical, and see whether they think you have a point – or whether you have moved on in your mind to new characters (poss that could be in a new book) rather than the original characters needing to be developed further, if that makes sense? Anyway, good luck!!
I think I have run out of willing victims, I mean volunteers. I was at the stage you are at a few years back (streamlining one book into three that is) and Yes, after that it does need a full edit/rewrite to sort out all the things that had to be said by people that no longer exist or haven’t arrived yet and stuff like that.
I did think about posting it online (or maybe a sample of chapters) but I’m increasingly nervous of going that route now.
Hey ho thanks for taking the time – it did make sense, honest