Bigger Than an Easter Egg: 86,642 Words Toward Freedom!

This weekend, while many will be hunting for chocolate eggs, I feel like I've laid the egg of the century. And it doesn't fit in a little wicker basket.

The Final Count: 86,642 Words

That is the weight of my manuscript, Shadows of Dubai, which officially left my nest (my Mascouche office) this Thursday morning to fly off into the expert hands of BouquinBec.

Putting the Manuscript Through the Wringer

Before clicking "Send," I went through my own technological Stations of the Cross. I had to put my text through the wringer with Antidote. For an analyst like me, every misplaced comma is a security flaw that needs patching. 579 linguistic alerts and thousands of typographical corrections later, the coast was finally clear.

More Than a Story: A Business

But the biggest leap isn't just typing "The End." It's deciding to wear all the hats. In addition to being the author, I became a publisher. I took advantage of my two weeks of vacation to formalize my business structure with the REQ (Enterprise Registrar), manage my copyrights, and order my own block of ISBNs. Owning your own identification numbers is a bit like having the keys to your own Smart Fortress. You don't delegate your baby; you pilot it from A to Z.

A Hunt for Repetitions

There was also the crucial step of beta-readers. You know, those precious people who sniff out excessive repetitions and little writing tics that escape us after eight months of head-to-head with our characters. Thanks to them, Morgane and her "team" now have a presence worthy of the name.

The Resurrection of a Project

Clicking "Send" is a strange sensation. You go from the shadows of solitary creation to the light of the publishing process. It's my own little Easter resurrection. The ball is now in the pros' court for the final quote. The dream is starting to take real shape, with a title page, an ISBN number, and a "real book" structure.

And you? Are you taking advantage of this long weekend to dig up a project that was gathering dust in a drawer? Sometimes, all it takes is a little push (and a lot of coffee) to turn shadows into light.

Happy Easter, everyone! 🐣🕵️‍♀️🖋️