I know something really, insanely cool that has nothing to do with me, but if it happens I am going to positively die of the squee.
And yes, I am saying this just to torture you all. It’s very mature of me. :)
I also know that for the first time in weeks/months, the words are flowing. I’m not as far as halfway through a chapter yet, and I’m still trying to stitch things together from what I wrote on this book previously, and I’m pretty sure that the three chapters I’d really, really like to use that are coming up in my old draft are three chapters I really, really can’t use in the new one, which is sad, but I’m still just plain happy that the words are coming. So happy, in fact, that I’m going back to work now. Although I may stop for some aspirin, because oi, the headache.
It’s always good when the words flow.:)
Exactly how many drafts do you go through before you feel a story is finished? Aspiring writer wants to know.:)
It varies wildly. :)
*Normally*, I write about the first third of a book, discover something’s broken, go back, rewrite, polish, fix, etc, carry on, get about 2/3rds through, discover something’s broken, go back, rewrite, polish, fix, finish.
By the time I get to the end after all of that, I’m usually pretty happy with most of the structure of the book. I do another polish or two and send it off to my editor and agent for commentary, and then go from what they give me as notes. Usually those are relatively minor, although for HOUSE OF CARDS I ended up rewriting pretty much the whole book. Not my favorite way to do it!
I know something really, insanely cool that has nothing to do with me, but if it happens I am going to positively die of the squee.
Obviously you can tell me, as it is well known I am the very soul of discretion…