What photo do you use to signify that you have finished the first draft of a new novel. How about the back cover photo and spine?
Yes, the first draft of Chimera is complete. I finished it at 5:38 on Sunday September 27th, 2015, having spent a hour and a half in the middle of the night writing the last chapter. All of a sudden there was an urgency to finish and chapter one hundred seemed like a good round number to finish on. The story had been growing crescendo and something was bound to give. Even then, the end surprised and delighted me. I had feared the worst but …
I checked my writer’s log. I began the draft on Tuesday, February 25th 2014. In between time, I also edited and published In Search of Lost Girls. The draft has gone through three different titles before becoming Chimera, which is unusual for me. When I find a title, I stick with it. At one point, I ditched a 30’000 word draft to begin again. The first complete draft is around 130’000 words.
I have already begun a first edit while the text is fresh in my mind. There are various important things that need to be done. Once that is finished, I will let the manuscript rest for a while during which time I plan to publish the third book of The Storyteller’s Quest: The Starless Square.