Another Day, Another Draft

Well, I surprised myself this weekend and finished the rough draft of my next novel, WORMWOOD, NEVADA. Actually, this is rough draft 3.0 (not to be confused with the novel's 3rd draft: this rough draft, like the two before, contained 80% new work, or about two hundred fresh pages). So far I'd estimate I've written around 700 pages to arrive at this new, 240 page draft. Ha, ha, stats like that in no way make one want to run screaming into the night...

This latest draft came out of advice from my agent, and though it was hard to swallow at the time I see now what I have is a much tighter, more powerful novel. I never really doubted his advice, it was more like I knew, deep down, that he was right and I dreaded all the work it would bring upon my land.

Anyhow, I'm going to try to breathe easier for a while and slowly rewrite/tighten this newest draft. My first novel doesn't come out for another seven months, yet I'm already rewriting the second. This is part of the endless joy that comes with being a writer who currently holds down a crazy, full-time eye clinic job.

Whoop!