First Rough Draft Completed for Book 2

It's a couple of days later than I had been aiming for, but I finally completed my first, rough draft for Book 2 of the Stormfall Chronicles.

For those who might be wondering about the writing process, getting a rough draft written from beginning to end is a daunting, often overwhelming process. There's the constant temptation to stop what you're doing, and go back and re-edit portions where you know the text will need to be revisited. Which is why it's so important as a writer to avoid that temptation, and get the skeleton of the book in place so there can be something to work from.

I know that there are some writers who sit down to write, and treat the writing itself as a journey or adventure, without knowing where it will lead. The Last Unicorn, for example, was reportedly written in that manner. That however, is not me. I write because I have a sense that there is something that needs to be said, a story that is waiting to be set free, and I am merely the conduit for its creation. I always begin my writing with a clear sense for where each book will begin, where it will end, and with a few key scenes already played out in my mind.

Having finished the first rough draft, I know that I have many editorial cycles ahead of me before the manuscript is ready for my beta readers (who happen to be my daughters) to see it for the first time. I know that there will be scenes that I have left out that I will need to add, and others that will need to be reordered. There are a lot of details that need to be added and polished. But I can already see the shape for where this next book is going, and what it will be like. I am very much looking forward to seeing this book through the editing phase during the next couple of months.