I'm glad things are going so well! Staying enthusiastic while making solid progress is a very good sign.
I agree on bells and whistles being unnecessary. I outlined each chapter of my novel in a chart in MS Word after I wrote it, so I could keep track of the plot. This made it much easier to see where things needed to be tweaked, combined, or moved around. krisname drew a graph of the novel that showed where there was little or no action, which stung a bit in critique but ended up being very helpful.
I know you mentioned before that you were embarrassed at making mistakes, but writers have to make mistakes to improve. Writers should be constantly trying to fail. Most things really can be fixed in revision--especially with such a strong early draft. Feedback and critiques are invaluable, if they help you work. Even when a manuscript is "ready" and publishable, a lot more revision is likely going to be necessary. It can always be better, but the key is making it as good as you're capable right now. If you don't want to get stuck on one book for your whole career (or a few movies, in George Lucas's case), there is such a thing as "good enough", although that still has to be pretty damn good before you start submitting.
The caveat being, I'm still relatively new at all this, and I don't know so much :)
no subject
I agree on bells and whistles being unnecessary. I outlined each chapter of my novel in a chart in MS Word after I wrote it, so I could keep track of the plot. This made it much easier to see where things needed to be tweaked, combined, or moved around.
I know you mentioned before that you were embarrassed at making mistakes, but writers have to make mistakes to improve. Writers should be constantly trying to fail. Most things really can be fixed in revision--especially with such a strong early draft. Feedback and critiques are invaluable, if they help you work. Even when a manuscript is "ready" and publishable, a lot more revision is likely going to be necessary. It can always be better, but the key is making it as good as you're capable right now. If you don't want to get stuck on one book for your whole career (or a few movies, in George Lucas's case), there is such a thing as "good enough", although that still has to be pretty damn good before you start submitting.
The caveat being, I'm still relatively new at all this, and I don't know so much :)
Keep at it!