180,000 words. 361 pages. First chapter of book 3 of what will be a 5-book series.
However, I still need to write four more chapters in book 2–I wrote through the end of the main plot and skipped the sub-plot chapters until now. Book 1 needs heavy re-writing and revision; book 2 needs some.
Still, I’m happy with my progress.
My writing has gone *much* faster since I started writing the sub-plot chapters. These characters are less important, less defined, and their plot threads are much less concrete in my head. I’ve had a detailed plan for the main story in my head for years, and have taken extensive notes on it. The four protagonists are well-developed so I have fewer options for what to write and how to keep them in character. I feel much freer writing about minor characters and developing their sub-plots, so it’s easier and maybe more creative in some ways. I’m only tied down by a loose sequence of events, as opposed to the main characters, for whom I thought of key events, personal revelations, challenges, etc., before I ever had time to write it all out.
Also, I’m letting myself write loosely now, relishing the idea of the first draft. I recently read Stephen King’s “On Writing: Memoir’s of the Craft,” and am currently reading “Nail Your Novel,” by Roz Morris. I don’t agree wholeheartedly with all the advice they give, but one thing I’ve strongly taken from both books is the importance to silence your inner self-critic when writing your first draft. Let the ideas out. It’s a right brain process. Word choice, entertaining prose, keeping characterization consistent, keeping timeline and the world consistent and cohesive–all that stuff can and should be edited later.
Allowing myself to make mistakes is freeing and enables my creativity to flow. It has always been difficult for me to ignore my self-critic. I wan’t to come up with a more symbolic, poetic, or interesting way to get my idea across. I check back through the novel to ensure consistency about who was wearing what, how many days it’s been, how far characters have traveled, etc. I don’t know why I did that as I was writing new passages. Clearly, it’s a prohibitive process. I suppose I am worried that anyone will read what I’m writing and lambasting me for missing details like that. But I’ve still rarely shared the bulk of my writing with anyone, so it’s an unfounded fear. It’s just made my writing take that much longer, delaying the time when I accomplish the real goal of actually sharing my writing with others.
My plan is to finish the four remaining chapters of book 2, allowing myself to write chapters of book 3 as inspiration strikes. My priority, however, will be completing the drafts of the first two books, so that I can go through them to make the sweeping edits I know they need. King and Morris both advised waiting months after writing the first draft before re-reading, so that it’s fresh and you’re more willing to delete the bad parts. The distance in time lessons your emotional attachment to them, hypothetically.
I agree with that theory but am not going to follow it 100%. I have been writing this series for more than a decade. I have made numerous revisions to numerous parts of it. I want to complete the first two books before really showing them–the first book is short, perhaps too short, and very limited in scope compared to the rest of the series. I plan to make it stand strongly on its own, but for now, it works more as a lengthy buildup to the second book. Also, the first book was almost entirely written when I was 18 and 19 years old. I think I was a good writer for my age, but I am happy to truthfully state that I think in the last decade my writing has improved significantly. Having written another 150,000 words since then, I feel the need to go back and make sure the prose is up to the quality of my current work. Especially since the beginning is what needs to hook a reader or agent or publisher–make them want to go along for the long ride.
So–parts of the series I’ve written recently–I’ve been writing pretty regularly since my 28th birthday November 5 2011. In fact, since then I have accomplished just over half of my total progress since undertaking this project in summer 2002. Roughly 95,000 words, 180 pages. Sixteen months to write 95K words is pretty good considering it took 8 1/2 years to write the first 85K words. (I have more free time now–graduated college, no longer performing in a band, work and sleep schedule more steady, etc.)
Regardless, the point is–parts of what I plan to edit in the coming months will be ten years old. Parts will be fresh. That will have to do, because my goal is to complete the second draft of books 1 and 2 by my 30th birthday this November. To have had my friends review and critique them. To have them agent-ready.
When I was finishing the first book shortly before I turned 20, I inwardly lamented that at this rate I wouldn’t finish the whole series until I was 30. That seemed like a far enough age and time that I could feel good about worrying it would take so long because of course it wouldn’t really take that long. Now I’ll be 30 in eight months, and I know I’m not going to have the whole series finished by then. It’s a big project–five books, half a million words. I sometimes wish I’d spent more time writing this throughout my twenties, prioritized it more, ignored the writer’s block and my inner critic and just done it! But then I wouldn’t have had the other awesome experiences that I did have (graduating college, performing in a band, getting a good job and steady sleep schedule). I am now in a point in my life where I can and do dedicate significant time to this project. I now am disciplined, and enough time that my discipline is effective in produce pages of results.
So yeah, overall I’m happy to honestly report that I’m pretty happy with my progress.
Jarien's words 