They say you should write what you want to read, and it’s VERY true because one has to read one’s book MANY, MANY times before it feels complete! My final draft is #14, so you get my drift.
This was the view in my living room earlier this week as I read Feathers in the Sand all the way through ONE MORE TIME before I sent it to my book designer on Tuesday!
I find the revising and editing process thoroughly tedious but also extremely challenging, and enjoyable in a strange way. So… I hate the process but I love it too! An interesting dichotomy, for sure.
There’s no way around it, though. My favorite, absolute best part of the writing process is when I sit down and write the first draft, aka the rough draft, orāas my teacher Jessica Brody saysāthe draft where I’m telling myself the story. I give myself three months of writing 1-2 hours a day, 3-4 days a week to get that done.
BUT. Once that story-draft is done, I can’t stop there. In order to birth a readable, saleable novel into the world, the first draft needs to be shaped, revised and molded into the true story. That part, for me, takes longer than three months. Well, it did this time, with Feathers in the Sand, and I imagine it will with future novels. Because in between writing and reading and revising, my brain needs time to set it aside and rest. That is a huge part of the process for me.
The reason why I find the revising somewhat enjoyable is because it helps me to see the bigger picture of the story I am telling, and it is a good feeling to see how all the pieces and parts of the characters’ stories fit together. It’s a satisfying venture to shape the “rough” draft into the story it is meant to be.
Feathers in the Sand, my new novel, floats into bookstores 7/11/22.