"Book II": Where I'm At, Right Now
About a week ago, I discussed my struggles with getting chapter one done. I wanted to really get it right and being that it featured a really important, unexpected conversation between three key characters, I had to make it work, answering some questions about events in the previous book, while also setting the stage for this one.
It took some fine tuning but I like where it’s at. Granted, I’ll massage it more when the first draft is complete and I have to go back and fix inconsistencies in the plot and also rework the setup for all the unforeseen things that come out in my writing.
That being said, yes, I have a plan and an outline when I start a book. However, sometimes better ideas pop into my head, as I’m trying to get to the end of the story.
I also previously mentioned that I scrapped the original first chapter. That chapter is now the third one in this book, as I reworked it to setup the secondary plot, which focuses on a trio of protagonists that I really want (and need) to expand on. Their side story also lays some of the foundation for the larger arc that will stretch over several books.
Now with all that, I’m exceptionally happy with how things have just been flowing out of me since locking down the beginning of the book. My goal after getting chapter one out of my head and onto paper, was to shoot for about three new chapters per week. Well, within a few days, I far exceeded my goal.
Just over a week later, I’m now about halfway done with the first draft of the main story. As I write this, I’m in the middle of chapter nine.
Like the previous book, there will also be a short story at the end. It will continue the Foolpuddle origin that started in Book I. I’ll knock that out once the first draft of the main story is complete. I generally know how the second part of the Foolpuddle tale will go, but as Book II comes to life, the details of the short story are also developing and being effected by the main one.
It’s hard to say whether or not I will maintain this momentum until the end of the first draft, but it’d certainly be nice and I love that the floodgates have opened.