In your estimation, how do you come to the conclusion your novel is finished? You've done everything you can do to make it as good as possible, you've had beta readers and been through crits. You've decided if you're going to go traditional or self-published and you're ready to put it out there in the world.
The easy answer is "it's ready when it's ready." Or "it can be different for everyone." However, what for you necessitates that you've done all you can?
For me, I'd say it needs to meet these criteria:
1. It's polished from a grammatical and technical standpoint. Meaning I've cleaned it up however best I can, whether that be with help from an editor or combing in through with help from others.
2. The story makes sense. There are no gaping plot holes or character inconsistencies that I, or beta readers, can detect.
3. The story's fun and engaging. If I'm bored reading it, I suspect others would be bored as well. Any scenes that were lacking or dry need to be spiced up or cut out.
4. The story has a hook-y beginning and a satisfying end. This doesn't necessarily mean to me an action packed beginning or happy end, I just mean they need to feel complete and not just thrown in there.
5. Info dumps are minimalized.
6. Important characters have a definitive arc.
7. The setting is clear and the world-building isn't entirely confusing. I say entirely confusing because someone somewhere is always going to find something to nitpick about world-building, so just make that part as good as humanly possible.
8. Dialogue is realistic and doesn't feel like people reading lines.
So these are things I want for a final draft. How about you?
The easy answer is "it's ready when it's ready." Or "it can be different for everyone." However, what for you necessitates that you've done all you can?
For me, I'd say it needs to meet these criteria:
1. It's polished from a grammatical and technical standpoint. Meaning I've cleaned it up however best I can, whether that be with help from an editor or combing in through with help from others.
2. The story makes sense. There are no gaping plot holes or character inconsistencies that I, or beta readers, can detect.
3. The story's fun and engaging. If I'm bored reading it, I suspect others would be bored as well. Any scenes that were lacking or dry need to be spiced up or cut out.
4. The story has a hook-y beginning and a satisfying end. This doesn't necessarily mean to me an action packed beginning or happy end, I just mean they need to feel complete and not just thrown in there.
5. Info dumps are minimalized.
6. Important characters have a definitive arc.
7. The setting is clear and the world-building isn't entirely confusing. I say entirely confusing because someone somewhere is always going to find something to nitpick about world-building, so just make that part as good as humanly possible.
8. Dialogue is realistic and doesn't feel like people reading lines.
So these are things I want for a final draft. How about you?