Finishing the First Draft

Last week, I finished the first draft of the sequel to "Beyond the Wood." I expected the sequel to get much further along in the story than it actually got in the draft (so the third book in the series will have to cover more than I anticipated). The characters in this draft had so much to say and do, and there was so much of the Civil War era that I wanted to include, that the story required more words than I had anticipated. Right now it's a little shorter than "Beyond the Wood," but by the time I rewrite it, I anticipate it will be about the same length.

For me, I much prefer the rewriting, enhancing and editing than filling up the blank pages, so I'm delighted to move on from the first draft.

For anyone who's wondering, most of the characters from the end of "Beyond the Wood" at least make an appearance in the pages of the sequel, and there are some new ones–some of whom I'm very fond.

I've got a working title, but I'm not yet totally comfortable with it, so I'll save that for a later blog.