The polish challenge is now closed.

The new challenge is blush.

Personally, Susan? I'm with Amy in thinking that perhaps it's a bit more complicated than it needs to be, however, it's definitely what works for you and given how many subplots and characters you have in this story and how many changes it's already undergone, I can see that you're trying to eliminate any potential issues.

If it were me, I'd do it in this order.

• Let it sit
• FIRST PASS, making notes as needed.
• REWRITE: Cut unneeded scenes, add additional ones. (Here, I tend to rewrite AS I read during the first pass, but that's because I'm clearly insane. YMMV.)
• BETA: Self-explanatory. Take another break and let other people have a look.
• POLISH/FINAL TWEAK: One final pass, incorporating beta feedback.

I never print out the manuscript, but again, this is me. I do have a very large monitor so I can work with two versions of the MS open at the same time if I feel the need.

But again, and it can't be stressed enough, this is simply me. In the end, do what works/feels best to you.

Paris Hilton's Guide to Understanding the Supernatural

Vampirism is the ultimate liquid diet. Werewolves follow Atkins more strictly than any human can, and get healthy exercise with their meals besides. That applies to Incubi and Succubi as well. Nobody is skinnier than a wraith. (Though, Nobody's diet is a secret that has never been revealed.) Mummies are examples of really successful gastric bypass.

It is not always about weight control though. Sometimes it is a matter of principle. Sasquatch is just watching his carbon footprint. Harpies live lightly on the earth. Zombies are simplifiers, master at stripping life down to bare essentials. Ghouls are the ultimate Freegans.

Snerk, Typo.

I wish I could help, Susan, but I'm such an emotionally needy human when I'm writing (well, when i'm not writing as well, but worse when I'm writing) that I think whatever advice I have, you'd have to do the opposite.

My littlest beta reader, Ashley age 6, loves Sam. Her dad read the first half of the first chapter to her on Thursday night before bed, and then asked questions:

What's the bat's name?

Sam!

How big was Sam?

No bigger than a marshmallow...

He said he'd finish it before school in the morning, and when he went to wake her up, she was already sitting up on her bed, holding the manuscript, trying to read it herself.

Best. Beta. Evar.

Awesome, Allyson. There should be more cover blurbs from readers like Ashley.

It sounds to me like you might be making it more complicated than it needs to be, but I don't know the scope of the book, plotwise.

It's pretty big and complex, and as an alternative history involves more worldbuilding than I'm used to. Also, though I'm trying to make it stand alone reasonably well, it is the first of a series, so I'm laying groundwork for future events.

That said, I may be overcompensating. Having finally admitted that I've under-edited in the past, I'm all fired up for a perfect orgy of rewrites. And this may be normal this close to the end of a rough draft, but right now I feel like the WIP is an utter disaster and that I'm a terrible writer who never should've attempted something so complex. My one hope is that I can rewrite it into something that does justice to the idea and the characters.

does somebody have pages of mine? Because I could use the feedback.

Anyone up for a beta of about 1800 words? It's been such a shitty chapter to write, so much gloom. It worries me. From here on in, Sam's adventure buoys up in tone and tempo, and chapter three is hilarious. But i just can't seem to get past the owl's loss of her babies, I can't seem to grasp it in a way that isn't making me either cry or beat my head against the keyboard from the melodrama.

Send it Allyson. I'm always eager to take a look.

And you know, I may not have anything to offer except, "It reads fine, to me." But I'll be glad to take a look.