![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Wordcount 1/31
Jan. 31st, 2022 12:29 pmNovel #4: 58k / 60k words
I'm fairly confident I can finish the first draft next weekend. It's down to maybe two scenes + climax action scene + ending left to write, then trying to smooth everything out for consistency and logic.
I've already slowly begun soliciting feedback from my first beta reader, so yay for efficiency. Once I'm confident that my first draft makes logical sense (no dropped plot threads or clues that weren't resolved, the solving of the mystery makes sense, no feedback from my first beta regarding major changes that should be made), I'll start disseminating more widely among more betas, and collect between 2-5 more opinions before turning in the draft to my agent.
I'm...cautiously excited? The weirdest part of this stage of the pandemic for me is that I can still write, but I have zero sense anymore of whether my writing is any good. Although, it's possible I feel that way because this book is less *a glass cage of emotions* than my previous books, and more *cold hard mystery investigation* plus *vibes*. I usually think my novel drafts are successful if I feel emotional about it, and I'm just...less emotional overall about this book, which is more about the "cool factor" than "characters I want to hug."
It's a transition/evolution, I guess?
I'm fairly confident I can finish the first draft next weekend. It's down to maybe two scenes + climax action scene + ending left to write, then trying to smooth everything out for consistency and logic.
I've already slowly begun soliciting feedback from my first beta reader, so yay for efficiency. Once I'm confident that my first draft makes logical sense (no dropped plot threads or clues that weren't resolved, the solving of the mystery makes sense, no feedback from my first beta regarding major changes that should be made), I'll start disseminating more widely among more betas, and collect between 2-5 more opinions before turning in the draft to my agent.
I'm...cautiously excited? The weirdest part of this stage of the pandemic for me is that I can still write, but I have zero sense anymore of whether my writing is any good. Although, it's possible I feel that way because this book is less *a glass cage of emotions* than my previous books, and more *cold hard mystery investigation* plus *vibes*. I usually think my novel drafts are successful if I feel emotional about it, and I'm just...less emotional overall about this book, which is more about the "cool factor" than "characters I want to hug."
It's a transition/evolution, I guess?
