My hands hurt. That’s what I think every time I type up pages and pages of the handwritten draft of my work-in-progress.
But that’s not the only thing that runs through my head as I “transcribe” my second draft. Every time I want to stop typing or take a break, I remember what I’m doing it for. One day, this book is going to be on someone’s shelf and it will inspire them the way I’ve been inspired by dozens of books before. If that’s the case, this book ought to be the best it can be.
I’m currently typing up draft two of my debut fantasy novel; I’m gearing up to outline draft three, hopefully the last “rewrite” I’ll have to do. As I embark on this writing journey, I wanted to document it here on my blog so that fellow authors might be able to glean from my experience. And, well, because I like talking about my writing.
If you’re curious about my personal writing journey so far, read on. If you’re looking to enhance your own writing journey, check out these posts instead.
Inspiration for the initial idea
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I post (super inconsistently) about my high fantasy novel-in-the-works, currently abbreviated TGH. You’d also know that I have deleted half those posts because, you guessed it, the idea keeps changing.
What started as an aimless story has evolved into something greater. I won’t get too much into the idea of the story because 1) I want you to read it in book-form one day, and 2) it might change again. However, I will reveal what inspired the story and where I got the original idea from, if you are looking for where to start.
In short, my work-in-progress can be summed up as a warm, but at times dark, high fantasy where characters wrestle with light and darkness, strength and weakness. At its core, the story revolves around a secret guild established to protect the royal family. This guild is a diverse group of friends who persevere towards their ultimate goal of defending their homeland.
So where did I get this idea from? I knew I wanted to write a story that mostly took place in a castle, so I built a plot around a royal family and the people sworn to their service. I also knew I wanted my characters to fight for something grand, for something higher than themselves.
As I came up with the initial outline, I drew inspiration from the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and a couple different animes—a strange combination, I know.
While the characters have developed and the plot has changed course, the story has remained a high-stakes, but warm, tale about the magic wielders of a secret guild. I am 96% sure this won’t change.
Writing draft one
I began the first draft sometime in January 2023 and finished it in June. I wrote it by hand in a leather journal for aesthetic appeal.
The first draft was just laying down the foundation. I didn’t focus on the quality of my words so much as putting them on the page so I would have something to edit.
Before beginning the first draft, I created an entire GoogleDoc filled with everything I could think of to help me write this story. Character profiles, kingdom histories, a dictionary for my made-up language…and guess how much I referenced this while writing the first draft? Probably about three times. And I’m pretty sure it was just how to spell certain names.
I’m not telling you not to worldbuild before you draft, but I am telling you that it didn’t help me much. For me, the thing was that I didn’t know what I needed until I was in that world myself and I was thinking of what the characters would know about their world.
It was more beneficial for me to write the first draft and make a list of world building things I needed to come up with later. Before I began writing, I came up with a lot of grand parts of the world (long conflicts between kingdoms, different types of animals that roam the island) but I didn’t come up with what the architecture of the main buildings looked like; what my characters’ jobs would look like; or how people treat nobility versus common folk.
If you’re going to do some worldbuilding before you start drafting, I recommend coming up with the basics from your main character’s daily life. Then, you can go back in and hint at the legendary wars and all about the cosmos.
As for outlining, I did outline my first draft scene-by-scene rather than my usual chapter-by-chapter. I detailed the main plot and a couple different subplots. The only problem was the logic. I had written myself into a corner, coming up with this grand scheme from the antagonist without real motivation and without a solid way for the main characters to solve the problem.
So while I stuck to my original outline, it didn’t do me too much good.
That being said, the first draft was a great way for me to get a feel for the world my characters lived in. It showed me what went wrong and where. It exposed any holes that were in my flimsy plot. So while I won’t be sending my first draft to print, it served its purpose well.
Plotting and re-plotting
Like I said before, the details of this story have changed. A lot. Again, the core of the story hasn’t really changed, but the characters surrounding it, the ending, the antagonist, the main conflict…all of that has evolved. This means that after I finished my first draft, I knew it was long before over.
I didn’t even read my first draft—which was a mistake—I just immediately began outlining a rewrite. This was a mistake because, as I’m typing up my second draft, I’m catching a lot. I’m making note of all the things that work well, and all the things that don’t. In my haste to forge ahead and start over, I probably overlooked a few things that could have helped with the second draft. I might go back and read the first draft sometime just so I can remember my original vision for the story.
Anyway, I went ahead and plotted draft two, as well as the rest of the series. (And yes, you guessed it, I will not be following that series outline.)
What I learned most from draft one was that I needed to narrow my focus and really hone in on a single main plot. As a result, I centered a lot of the outline for book two on the main plot. I included one or two minor subplots from the first draft, but the main plot dominated most of the page time.
The primary change, however, was the main plot itself. It went from being a this-thing-might-happen-and-we-must-prevent-it storyline to a it’s-happening-why-me storyline. In my second outline, the main character was much more proactive and my writing showed this.
Writing draft two
Draft two went much smoother. By then, I knew the world I was writing in, I had an idea of what was going to happen later in the series, I knew how I wanted book one to end. Naturally, the writing came much quicker this time around.
What I explored most in this draft was the characters. I don’t know how it is for other writers, but it takes me a long time to get to know my characters. I had to write two entire drafts for me to even begin to understand the motivations of my main character and I only just today think I got it.
So that’s what draft two was all about. I wrote the story from a different angle, I experimented with another plot, and I fleshed out the characters.
Is all of draft two going to make it past the final cut? No. But was this draft a success? Definitely.
I would also like to add that I was writing draft two during a particularly difficult semester. My college classes became more advanced (eight hours for six homework problems?!), I was working thirty hours a week, and I had lost two friends within less than a year. I don’t say this to complain; I say this to show how even when you think you can’t, you can.
I left draft two for dead once the semester started. I immediately had no time, and so I didn’t write for weeks. I’d go entire months without writing. That all changed when I realized that if I didn’t make my writing a priority now, I’d never make it a priority in the future. How could I say, “Oh, I can’t write right now, but I’ll write on the side during my future full-time job that takes up just as much time, or when I’m raising my family.”
If I couldn’t make time for my book in college, how would I make time for it in the years after?
So every morning I would read the Bible and then write for exactly one hour. For one hour, homework was put on pause and I wouldn’t answer my phone.
Trust me, I did not have a spare second, but I’ve found that when you put what matters the most first, you somehow have enough time for all the rest.
Typing up my hand-written draft
Since the hand-written draft two showed great improvement from draft one, I have deemed it ready to be transferred to the computer.
As I’ve begun going through this draft, I’ve only been encouraged. Sometimes I’ll come across a scene I was particularly proud of or a shockingly insightful line. Other times I’ll come across one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever had in my entire life put into writing.
Both encourage me. The good writing reminds me of what this book could be. It reminds me that I’m one step closer to reaching my dream. The bad writing makes me laugh, and it shows me what I need to work on.
I’ve learned so much about my writing just from typing this draft up word-for-word, not editing, not making any changes. This is why I wish I went back and at least looked at draft one.
Unfortunately, since I’m simply transcribing draft two word-for-word, the process is speedy. This means my hands don’t get much of a break, which results in a lot of cramping which then leads to many finger stretches and wrist-rolling.
After I finish transcribing the second draft, I’ll move on to draft three and maybe do some supplemental worldbuilding while I’m at it.
Current status
There you have it. That’s where I am in TGH. I know I haven’t written more than a few scenes that will make it to the final draft, but I am so excited for this book. TGH is something to be proud of, even if the end is not quite in sight.
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