I’ve finished the first draft…and it sucks!

Most writers will understand what I am getting at. Even though I no longer participate in NaNoWriMo, every time I work on a novel and complete a first draft, it feels like my effort is solely about completing the first draft, come hell or high water, just like I’m trying to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.

But I’m not. I’m working on Book Three of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles, a series of historical crime fiction. I’ve done massive amounts of research, gone to actual locations, purchased books necessary for creating a realistic atmosphere. You would think that I would have SOMETHING worthwhile to rave about.

However, my style is not of the writer who puts down 100,000 words and works diligently to whittle it down to something manageable. I’m the guy who gets the STORY written and works on filling out the pieces, fleshing out the characters once they are down in a manuscript.

As each book in the series becomes more detailed, so does the research become more intensive. The percentage of research to writing gets closer to 50-50 and the process for completing a first draft is starting to take longer. It is for this reason that I’ve written the outline to Book Four. No, I’m not looking too far ahead. I just want to get a running start after this book is ready to go off to my publisher and editor.

On top of that, well, we’re less than two weeks from Thanksgiving and the utter chaos and madness of the holiday season. It is now more than ever that I must make the time for the writing and editing to get through this time of year. I’m trying desperately to release one book per year in this series and I can’t let something like the holiday season get in the way.

Ok, so the first draft sucks. But, it’s a start.