Just in time for the new year, too! I finished it at approximately 11:25 pm on New Year’s eve 2010. Here’s the breakdown:
ms pages: 491
words: 136,095
file size: 1,869 KB
chapters: 30
start date: 14 July 2009
end date: 31 December 2009
And the wordle image:
I’m glad to have it finished. It’s got tons of issues with it–way too many for me to show it to an agent/editor–but I think this draft is significantly better than the first one. In particular, I’ve worked on improving the chapter structure: making sure that each chapter has consistent rising action, a central focus, a climax that develops the main story in some way, and compelling transitions that propel the reader into the next chapter. I don’t do any of that very well in first drafts.
So now that the second draft is finished, time to lay it aside for a while and work on something else. After a few months, I’ll be in a better position to pick it up and fix the major issues.
In the meantime, on to something new–in more ways than one!
Happy new year!
