Editing My First Novel Part 2 (Third Draft)

I have almost read halfway through the book now. I probably could have done more over this DK30 but I think I burnt myself out with all the work I had done before the DK30 had even started. I probably should have printed my novel off so I could read it away from my computer which would have been easier on my eyes and allowed me to read it away from my work desk. I didn’t end up doing this because firstly, the book is currently 372 pages long which would have used up a tone of paper and ink. Secondly, part of the reason for this read through was to allow me to fix up small mistakes that I had made which is easier done on my PC. Honestly I think I should have done more this DK30 and I think from now on I should put more emphasis on fully clarifying my short term plans and finding better ways to ensure I commit to them. I was definitely too lazy in outlining my goals this time around because I felt that I could just use most of what I had set out in the previous DK30. I had moved from one task to another and didn’t consider how that might change things.

TLDR; I didn’t put enough thought into my work strategy and so I didn’t complete as much work as I should have. I’m still happy with the novel itself although I can see there is still much more work that needs to get done.

Hope everyone is finding success with their own projects.

Until next time… :)

Quick update, I have now read 18 chapters. Pacing seems to get a lot better further into the book. I think it’s mainly because by that point I have done most of the world building so I can focus more on plot and characters. that being said I will probably go back through and see if I can make the exposition a bit smoother in those earlier chapters once I have finished my read through. I think I have a tendency to want to explain absolutely everything the moment I have the opportunity to which has probably bogged down some parts of the story. My story does take place in its own unique world with its own unique fantasy quirks so there is a fair bit of time dedicated to ensuring the reader understands the rules of what is and isn’t in the world. My biggest concern is that the exposition is too dry or too much/little leading people to get fed up with the story. Overall I have confidence that with a bit of polish I can make the story flow better in the early chapters.

So I know I have been very bad with updates this time around so I’m going to try to do better. I forgot that I’m a really slow reader so my plan to read through the entire book before this DK30 was a bit optimistic. I have currently read ten chapters in and I’m pretty happy so far. There will be definitely a lot of work for me to eventually do for grammar and syntax. There are even some accidental homophones put in there from me just typing badly. Given my current rate of progress I’m probably not going to get to working on the original work I had planned but I feel like reading through is an important step that will help me in the long run.

As mentioned in my update post bellow, I actually finished editing the second draft. There is still a bunch of editing to go but I think I just need to do a full read through to see how the story feels and plays out. So far I have only read through as I have been writing or editing it so I think it would be good to take a step back and just experience it as it is supposed to be experienced. I might do small edits for spelling, grammar, and/or syntax sparingly but no large rewrites or add-ons. If I think of a rewrite or idea while reading it I will add it to my list of todo’s which I will be tackling in the third draft. My plan is to complete my read through before the actual start of the DK30 so that I can devote my DK30 time to the third draft work. Once I have finished the read through I will create another checklist for me to complete, although this one probably will have a range of todo’s rather than going chapter by chapter.

Current Word Count: 256,115

Current Page Count: 371

Current Chapter Count: 54

Current Number of Todo Task’s: 224

Ok, so I made this project a bit early and so I have actually finished editing the second draft earlier than I expected. My plan is to edit the book start to finish for each one of the goals outlined. In the first run I have been fixing inconsistencies in character/location/plot. The earlier chapters needed quite a lot of work but its getting somewhat easier now that I’m in the later chapters. I have given each of the chapters a title. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep them but for now its a good way for me to keep track of where I am and navigate the document easier. As I finish editing chapters I will cross them off here and then start a new list when I move onto the next goal. I had already done a bit of work from the previous DK30 and in the interim and only have 13 chapters left to edit for this draft.

• The Hunt
• The Demon Among Monsters
• Deliah
• Paradise
• Grandmother of Crime
• At Any Cost
• First Meeting
• Haven
• An Old Friend
• Return to the Warrens
• Training Begins
• Do or Die
• Summons
• Court of the Queen
• A Previous Life
• A Rocky Start
• First Assignment
• Catching a Killer
• A Good Deeds Reward
• Until Dust
• Cezanne
• Disturbing News
• The Best Offense
• The Masters District
• Another Promise
• Ideals
• The Warrior of the South
• Dire Times
• The War of the Warrens
• Aftermath
• Grim Reminder
• New Leads
• Desso
• Banquet
• A Promise Broken
• A New Threat
• The Inner Palace
• Torn in Two
• The Boy in The Darkness
• A Brief Reprieve
• A Dinner with Royalty
• When You Gaze Into The River
• An Incited City
• A Desperate Plan
• A Divided Front
• The Crows Feast
• The Inevitable
• The Truth
• To Fire and Ash
• A Sorrowful Duel
• A Fitting Fate
• The Beginning
• Theatre of Death
• A Fitting End