Now to take a deep breath, print it out, and start thinking.
Because the story is the right shape now. So I can figure out how to put the right words and the right arcs to that right shape.
And here’s where I’m glad I blog, because I can look back and see that I’ve been here before. Ages ago, I broke my drafting process down like this:
Draft 1: Write the wrong story. But sort of kind of get a feel for what the right story is about. (The exploratory draft.)
Draft 2: Write the right story. But with all the wrong words, muddled arcs, and not enough sensory vividness.
Draft 3: Get something approaching the right words. Only with lots of the wrong words still mixed in.
Draft 4: More right words. Not so many wrong words. Much tighter.
Draft 5: Polish until my teeth hurt.
When I finished the draft of Thief Eyes, I reread that and said:
Today I finished the second draft of TE, and it really is a merry muddle. But instead of despairing, I look at the above [description of what my drafts look like] and think, no, draft two is right on target for what a draft two generally is, given my writing process. And for about the millionth time, I take that leap of faith: There is a book here. I’ll get there yet.
And here’s what I said about Faerie Winter at this stage of the process:
Just finished the very rough first draft (as opposed to the exploratory draft) of the work-in-progress …
puts off pondering how a third of this draft likely needs to go, and how two characters will have to become one, and how two more characters will have to be replaced by other characters, and how all the characters will need deepening, and how large pieces of what remains after all that have to move around, and how the book still needs layers and layers of emotion and especially description, and and and … It’s a draft. Now to step away for some serious thinking time (and for some catchup on email and household tasks), and then the real work begins.
Right. Deep breath. Leap of faith. Trust my process.
And a link to one more reminder, from Thief Eyes again, as to why it’s always worth stepping away between drafts, at least for a little while.