It's been quite a while since I've blogged over here. I've been pretty busy working (I changed jobs), going to school, blogging at Chasm of Books, and writing.
I've made quite a bit of progress in the past five months. I read all of Traitors & Tyrants' first draft and decided that I needed to rewrite the entire thing. I was opposed to this thought at first but I came around to it. All I can say is that I am so glad I did. Neither draft is perfect, however each has something very important.
Draft one has the entire series plot and some important world building in it. However, draft one's plot was unfocused. Draft two lacks world building and detail but the plot is there. You have to understand that when I write I tend to write the main points of a story and bypass a lot of detail and setting description. These are important things though, since this description enables a story to envelop a reader. As you can probably guess, things tend to be very fast paced. Too fast. It's one thing after another. Rushed.
My main goal for draft three is to insert details, world building, and pacing. I think these are definitely the major things. I'll be keeping an eye on Hector's personality as well as Rachel's to make sure they're consistent and distinct. If I had to choose, I'd say Rachel is definitely going to undergo the most character development in this round of revisions.
I tried to interview Rachel before I ever wrote the first draft, but she was uncooperative; however, I'm pleased to say that she decided to cooperate this week and I've learned some really important things about her and how she feels about events (now I'll be able to add a realistic emotional punch to things).
I've started revisions for draft #3 this week and am enjoying the process a lot. It's really interesting to see the story transform into something I'd actually be willing to share.
