So, what's next?

I finished the massively oppressive rewrite on my WIP. So, what next?

• Submit samples to an editor. I've chosen to submit to Stacy Whitman in part because she is someone who I'd intended to submit to while she still worked as an editor at Wizards of the West Coast (with a different novel), and in part because, from her blog and past experience, I trust her to make a great critique that tells me what direction I should go in with future revisions.
• You know that rule about always taking off one accessory before leaving the house? I'm making up a writing rule: always take off 5k words before submitting to agents/editors. So that will be an immediate thing that I focus on changing.
• I've gone through my manuscript highlighting all the "overused" words I mentioned in a post below. I am then going to print the manuscript off and go over it with my red pen--slashing away at over-used words, bad dialog tags, adverbs, and weak verbs.
  
• I'm going to ask around (read: plea) with anyone I know for a read-through of the WIP.
• After taking in all comments, changes, etc....I'll submit to agents/editors. I've already picked out the top three dream agents I'd like to have. Goal: submit by January 2009. Which means revisions = December.

And that's it...The Plan. I've already submitted my chapters to Stacy Whitman, already gotten my highlighted ms. printed. Now all I've got to do is start slashing away!