The First Draft Process–You know, I’d forgotten until I read this entry just what a pain the first draft of Vodnik (Lesana) was to write. I started composing with only a very generalized idea of the story in my head, and I sent it off to my writing group very early on, when I still only had a little actually down on paper. The problem with this approach is that I’d get six or seven opinions about what my book should be like. Since I didn’t have a firm vision, the book sloshed all over the place, getting three fairly substantial revisions partway through the process. Not in ideal formula for first draft success.
Outline of the Second Draft Process–I had firm plans on how the second draft would proceed. As I look back on them, I realize that each one of the steps I outline here is really a separate draft in and of itself. It’s the same process I’m going through now with my editor, four years later. Crazy.
Mid-Revision Frustrations–The second draft was just as rocky as the first, at times. It came during a hectic time in my life, and there were some rough patches. This post captures some of that turbulence.
Step One Almost Complete–Three months into what I’d planned as a one month process, I was about done with step one of three. And the book was no longer called Lesana. It was now a choice between “Vodnik” and “Vodniks Bite.”
Revision Complete–So instead of one month, it was approaching five. But in my defense, in that same stretch of time, I finished my Masters of Library Science, helped my wife write her thesis, applied to 50 jobs, accepted a job in Maine, bought a house there, moved to Maine, and started that job. Life sometimes gets in the way of writing–what can I say?