#third draft

[maraudereestauderelb]

Still can't believe this was me writing the first few chaps of my manuscript at Starbucks almost two years ago. To now collecting feedback from professional Betas 🥹✨

[chrisschallertideaengine]

Friday Craft: Smoothing Draft Details

Okay, so, in my third draft, I had to add another scene where my main character faces severe injury. I already had three of those. In a row. In. A. Row. Honest to Betsy, there is a purpose for it! However! Now I have to check everything after that point and make sure that it actually happened according to the following actions. She was stabbed with a filthy dagger, to make an infected would…

Friday Craft: Smoothing Draft Details

[chrisschallertideaengine]

The Perks of Printing the Draft

I can take notes more easily. Grab a pen, write. Don’t have to search for the ‘make a note’ or ‘comment’ function, then forget to press [enter] to save it. “Wait, I made a relevant note somewhere…” is easier when you have a physical pile of papers. Something where you don’t just link a memory of a note to a paragraph, but to a thickness of a paper stack. Arrows. Arrows everywhere. Lines through…

[calissto]

Trying to wrap up my third draft before 2025 starts! I've got two more arcs to mix-and-match chapters with from a previous draft with some new writing here and there and then I'm in the clear!

[chrisschallertideaengine]

Third Draft: Process and Concerns

I’ve written the story twice now. Time to read it through. My concern now is not the chronology, but the tone. And the characters. I’m telling two tales at once, with the same characters years apart. I have to make sure that they are distinct from each other (vocabulary, topics, verbal tics, gestures) but similar enough to show that they have been together for a while (shared idioms, a few…

[shellyscribbles]

Little Excerpt

Cyrus let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. The roar sounded again, it seemed to be getting closer.

“Alright, imagine a wall of energy,” he held his hand out, “push it against my hand.”

Aaron frowned but did as Cyrus had asked. Cyrus’s hand shot back, nearly colliding with his face as he stumbled back. “Okay, okay.” He looked at Zuriel with wide eyes. “That was not what I was expecting.”

“That block was massive.” Lonan said looking at Zuriel with the same wide-eyed shock as Cyrus.

The roar tore through the trees once more but was now accompanied with the sound of snapping branches and the thud of trees.

Zuriel’s eyes opened wide. “Uh, what, what is Pyre?”

“A dragon.” Cyrus said quickly, “focus, we need you to form that field, just like you did against my hand, but hold it over our heads. Can you do that?”

“I, uh,” he shook his head to clear it, “Yes. I think so.”

“Do it.” Cyrus prompted.

Zuriel did. Cyrus’ lip curved in a smile that seemed strange on his face.

“We can definitely work with that.” Lonan smiled at him and slapped him on the back.

“Alright, Zuriel here has our top, I’ll block the front, Lonan, you cover whichever side he comes at us on.”

“Understood.” Lonan said as he placed a hand gently on Aila’s back, guiding her closer to the center where Zuriel, Rafael and Halvar were.

“Keep it over us as best you can.” Cyrus said.

Zuriel gaped at him a moment before he glanced up. As far as he could see there was nothing there, but he did have a sense that there was somehow. He looked to the forest before them and it was the same. He saw nothing, but could feel…something.

“Zuriel? You ready?”

Zuriel let out a breath. He was about to maintain a force-field he couldn’t see over them to protect them from dragon fire as they ran to a city he couldn’t see yet.

“Why not?”

Cyrus frowned, sighed, then nodded. “Alright,” he went to the front of the group and led the way. “Keep close.”

[1427]

do any of y'all ever get to the point where like I don't think I know how to read anymore

[the-dark-ages-trylogy]

Writing Stuff #3

Ladies, gentlemen and non-binary friends,

Great news — I finished second draft of Atropa Belladonna. I added 37k characters, so I wrote almost 1 publisher’s sheet more. After adjustments there are 13,5 publisher’s sheets now. 

My beta readers are reading ABD, and I’m waiting for their comments. I’m absolutely nervous. The day when I’ll send my first book to the publishers knocks at the door. I’m gonna die because of stress.

Stay safe, drink water and see ya later ❤