It's been two months and more since I resolved to step back from the keyboard, and a lot has happened--- and has not.
First, what hasn't happened.
As promised, I did not touch my draft of The Single Eye. In fact, I didn't open it till the 20th of this month of March.
The other thing that hasn't happened is that I didn't hear from either of my Last Two Beta Readers. That isn't to say I was never in touch with them; I just got nothing back on the novel.
Now, I could take that as a very bad sign. Yes, the one has been through severe health issues involving herself and a close family member. The other has a very full, not to say harried, schedule. But there's a nagging voice that says, "If your book was any good, they'd be compelled to read it anyway. They'd find it a solace in their affliction!"
But as much as The Single Eye involves themes that go to the heart of the human condition, as much as I hope the reader will come away having learned something about him or herself, as much as I'd love it to be the kind of book a reader will pick up again and again, it's still a novel. It's entertainment. And when your newborn has to be rushed to the ER because she can't clear her lungs, Mama ain't got time to beta read no novel.
So I'm going ahead and doing a last copy edit out of my own eye--- if that makes sense. More on that later.