The First Draft of A New Book

There comes a point where you realize you started one project, but it's not what you envisioned. You spend a whole year trying to fight for it to succeed, but it's not happening; no matter how much gas you put in the car, so to speak, it's just not moving. A piece of the engine is broken; that's the best metaphor I can give. That was what happened when I tried writing my very first novel. I had a whole draft written. It would be something agencies would be interested in; that I could get it published by this year. But then I did some soul-searching and realized that there was something about it that just wasn't working the way I envisioned it would, and by the time I figured out what it was, I knew that I needed to take a different direction. 

Hence, I started a first draft of a newer book. 

I took some elements from the first book I wrote but made significant changes. I've developed newer backstories and created a whole new world. This time around, it will be a success. 

However, I want to edit it at least a year. Once I finish my first draft, I aim to spend a month or so editing it myself. And then, I plan on sending it to others to get their input. 

What I'm doing much differently is I'm keeping a journal of everything; I'm picking and choosing what I want to reveal to the audience, and I'm taking the time to carefully consider the development of the plot. What's at the center of this story? The center of this story is the concept of family, both blood and chosen. 

The fantastical elements and the plot centered around all of it are what make it different. It's just a matter of making sure every character is fully developed, making sure that I highlight their flaws, their contrasting traits, their personalities, and what makes them tick. And once I do that, the story will be a success, and if I ever get it published, I can start developing a potential sequel. My goal right now is for it to be a series of five books, which is more than what I could've said for the previous series I had in mind, which was a trilogy and probably needed a lot more world-building because the concept was so foreign. 

This time, though, world-building is happening so much more organically. 

It goes to show, you live and you learn. And I hate to sound cliché about it, but it's true. 

I'm aiming for anywhere between eighteen and nineteen chapters for the book. And it's already going in the direction that I want.