My first draft of my latest WIP has just been completed!
This story has been simmering away for several months, having been started (and then unceremoniously dumped as Mirrordom demanded attention) and then re-ignited again over the month of May. I then decided to meticulously map out what was going to happen in the story so I could have a plan in mind. And then, at the end, it didn’t matter because a twist happened that even took me by surprise.
Most brilliant writers say their process involves having a basic plan and then writing what comes. I wish I could do that, but unfortunately being a careful planner, I need to write down, chapter by chapter, what is going to happen next. In spite of this, however, I still get taken by surprise by things that happen.
Completing the first draft
Now the first draft is done, I’m going to…
…do absolutely nothing with it.
The fallow period, where I let the work sit for several weeks or months, is an important part of the process. It allows my brain to change gear and then come back to the manuscript afresh. Invariably, this means I pick up a ton of faults that I have to change.
Once the fallow period is over, I’ll go back in and edit it to within an inch of its life. I already know I need to do a lot of character developing and flesh out some of the villains to make them more threatening.
As always, I will format the book for print (which is another good way of encouraging my brain to look at it in a different light, rather than just reading a Word document.) I’ll be looking out for typing errors and inconsistencies, as well as a healthy chunk of developmental editing – which basically means ensuring the writing itself is as tight and gripping as it can and should be.
Will it ever get published?
Who knows? At this stage, it’s not on the radar in the immediate future because there’s far too much work to do to get the manuscript up to scratch. After that’s done, I do have a few publishers I’d like to send it to but nothing is ever guaranteed.
What’s the point of mentioning it then?
This blog has always been about documenting my journey to getting published – and that includes mentioning all the ones that may not get there. I have loads of WIPs at any given time – this is just one of them and it may or may not see the light of day. What I can say is that this is one of my current favourite stories and I’d be really proud to see it on shelves at some point in the future. Until then, there’s a lot of work to do.
(But first, a nap. I have just finished the first draft of a novel, after all!)
Leave a Reply