I'm not going to stop editing my novel anytime soon. Well, maybe soon, because the things that are wrong with it are beyond my capability to fix. I can't put my finger on the problem, and not liking a particular "vibe" isn't informative.
The things I can fix have been fixed, but they were niggling little issues, like overusing the word "perch" or "perched" too damn many times. "They perched on the dance floor." "I perched on my window seat." Everybody's perching all over the place. Most of these instances have been replaced, but who knows how many more there are? I'm not even halfway through my second readback. So, yes, I'll still find issues like that, but the overall story is there.
My first readback ensured that nothing much was out of kilter. Definitely some scenes could've been handled better, but I can only do the best I can do.
The good news is, I've found my cover. Well, I didn't exactly find it; rather, I created it. I didn't even have to lay out money for a stock photo. My last resort in my search for the right image was Canva. I'd already searched its photo selections a while back, but came up empty. It could be that the site added more.
What I do when searching any photo site is save every image I find even remotely possible; then I go back and ask myself what I was thinking and delete most of them. That leaves very few choices. The clincher that sealed my decision was the woman's expression. She's not smiling; her expression is contemplative. Oh, and she's holding a microphone, which all the others were, so it's clear the novel is about a singer. Plus her "look" matches the main character.
I went with the advice to mix the fonts, and the advice was gold. It brings the title to life; it's not static. It looks professional. Really, once I played around with the title font a bit, I knew immediately that I'd nailed the cover. I always say, "I'll know it when I see it", and I saw it.
Naturally, I couldn't create a cover without first having a title, and I do. "Running from Herself" is the one. The more I read it, the more sure I was. I suppose I should thank AI for it, but it only provided a spark. I don't remember if it spat out the word "her" or "run", but something spurred my creativity.
So, I have a cover (free!) and a title (again free), and I've begun researching the creation of a paperback. I've always published ebooks only, and couldn't imagine why I would ever want a paperback, but now I think I do. I've still got a lot to learn about them, and that can wait until the novel is edited for good.
My cover and my title are the first excitement I've felt in a while. It's nice to feel excited, because this process has been a real slog.
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