Yesterday I finished my first read-through of the first draft of my new novel and…

…I’m pleased with what I have.

Quite pleased.

It took roughly 7 or so months to write this first draft and now do the read-through. The next step is to put the revisions I made in red ink on the pages of that first draft into the computer, print the thing out, and start the read-through/revision of Draft #2.

How much work will need to be done before this novel is ready for release?

As I noted in older posts detailing the travails of writing my novels, for a while there it took me a whopping 12 drafts to get some of my Corrosive Knights novels, especially the later books, ready.

It was an odd thing, but three or so novels in a row (I believe books 5, 6, and 7 in particular) required exactly that many drafts before I felt they were good.

That’s right, 12 drafts each, neither 11 drafts or 13!

However, my previous novel, Terminus Island (Book 8 of the Corrosive Knights series) in the end required a mere 5 drafts before I felt it was ready and released it.

It feels to me this new novel -my first novel in many years not set in the Corrosive Knights universe- is falling sorta/kinda in that same general area.

That’s not to say the book will be finished in 5 drafts (whether less or more), but at this point -and assuming I don’t stumble upon some really big problems in this book I’m not seeing- I’m certain it will not take 12 drafts to get it done.

Which, of course, means the book will be done and released sooner rather than later.

Perhaps even by the later parts of this very year!

Wouldn’t that be great?

Stay tuned!