This morning before work, with very little fanfare, I finished the epilogue, completing the rough draft for this fourth novel in the Togahan series. Like previous drafts, finishing the first pass is…well, weird. It’s like, there should be a firework or two? Maybe? Or an “Achievement Unlocked!” appears on my screen? Instead, I just came down from the attic with a subtle smile and informed my wife of the news. Then I got ready for work.
AT4 (the working title until I decide on a final one), came in at 35 chapters, 391 pages, 156,701 words total. It’s not the longest first draft I’ve done, but it’s up there. According to my schedule, I started it on January 1, 2017, and it took me a little over two and a half years to finish (or close to one Martian year; I can live with that). I had planned to finish it by September (of last year). So I’m roughly 326 days behind my arbitrary schedule.
Regardless, it’s done, putting the project at 41.6% complete. Next up: sketch maps for a couple of weeks, then I hunker down for the editing. I’m hoping to make back some of those 326 days there, but I’d rather take it slow and do it right, than rush something I’m less happy with. We’ll see.
As always, thanks for sticking with me. I’ll let you know how it goes.
-Pete