Yesterday I reached The End of Joy Comes in the Morning, version 7. And today I’m beginning Version 7.5. Why?
Good question! Version 7 is basically a first draft, strange as it sounds. Most of it was written from scratch in 14 writing days. As such, I know it will READ like a first draft. It will be lacking any description of setting or characters, because I’ve quit trying to remember to get those into an initial draft as it just doesn’t come naturally to me. It will contain repetitive phrasing and my pet words. It will include POV slippages, telling when I should be showing, unclear pronouns, and redundant dialogue tags.
Not incidentally, it’s also too short. It needs to be between 55,000 words and 60,000 words. It’s 47 and change.
My goal is to have taken care of the lion’s share of those problems within the next SEVEN days so that I can get it out to my wonderful critique partners so that they can get it back to me so that I can write Version 8 so that I can get the thing out the door by the date it’s been requested.
Can I accomplish this? It’s steep. But I’m praying God will continue to give me clarity and ability to complete the novel on time.
Now where did I put my notes from the Donald Maass workshop at conference….
{{{hug}}}
Deep breath…
You’re doing great!
Keeping in mind how far you’ve come in just a couple of weeks, you can reach the finish line. I’ll be praying for your continued strength and clear thinking.
Hugs, Val, but you’re doing great. And remember that unlike a normal first draft, you have this story down solid at this point.
Thanks for the votes of confidence, Karen, Candee and Mar! Nose to the grindstone this week and then see where it leads me. And yes, Mar, I HOPE I have the story solid by now!
Woo-hoo!!! Anxiously awaiting…