Another Draft Down
As of today, I have completed six full drafts of my debut novel!
And I have to say, it’s really good! I’m flattering myself here a little, but I think it’s important for writers to acknowledge when they have written something of merit. Imposter Syndrome is real and I think it afflicts us all at various points in the writing process, but at some point we also have to take the leap and say, “No, it’s not perfect, but it’s getting the job done and it’s well written. Here’s my book.”
One thing I was worried about was that the book would feel too shallow, too surface level to be considered mostly completed. But after going through and reading the feedback from my most recent round of beta readers, I’ve realized it’s much more in-depth than I realized. Which happens, of course, because I’ve been with this book for over a year now. I’ve revised it heavily. I’ve read through it so many times, it’s bound to lose some of its magic. But this most recent readthrough has shown me that the book is actually very close to being done.
Like, actually done done.
And I can’t even talk about how exciting that is. Not yet. I’ll save that for another post.
The next draft will be a continued revision of two of the weakest chapters. I’m honestly surprised there are only two. And then the eighth and final draft will be a slow and detailed proofread to make sure that each sentence flows and the word choices make sense. I’ll have all of April and May to get this done, which is good because I also have two fairly hefty final papers to write this semester and they will take up big portions of my weekends.
Once the proofread is done, the manuscript will be sent to my interior designer. Once that is finished, pre-orders will officially open (HOLY SHIT) and I will be in marketing mode at full force. My goal for the summer is to do a small Oregon and southern Washington book tour, which will take a lot of time to plan out and organize. But I will be working very minimally over the summer so as to give myself enough time to focus on the book tour and on finishing the rough draft of my sequel.
I’m just…I’m still so stunned that I can actually say that this is where I am now. As hard as it was to write my book of poetry, this process has been so much harder. Fiction is just a different world. And retelling fairy tales in ways that are new, surprising, and yet still carry the sense of the familiar, is extremely difficult. I can’t say I’ve done all of that as successfully as I would have liked, but I can say that I’m proud of my efforts. I love this book. I love these characters. And I’m thrilled that I get to stay with them for several more books to come.
There were people who tried to tear me down. People who tried to destroy my writing, my creativity, my ambition. They failed. I’m not only still here, I’m thriving in ways I never could have imagined, and there is beauty in that. I don’t wish them ill, but their actions, their choices will carry their own consequences. Things didn’t have to be this way, but they chose this path. I didn’t.
And I will keep writing. I will keep putting my work out into the world. I will keep surrounding myself with the writers, artists, and creatives who love and support me. And I will love and support them. Today, I’m happy. I’m thankful. I’m excited. I’m incredibly proud of myself.
