I hate writing the second draft of a novel.
It kills me.
The first draft was written in a flurry of excitement and passion. The words flowed from my brain to my fingers to the keyboard with magic and ease. Okay, I might have included a little hyperbole here. But on the whole, the first draft was fun to get down. The story is filled with promise ...
Until I read it. Except I can't read it without an interpreter. Sentences aren't even whole. I obviously thought of one line and came up with another idea halfway through. But did I delete any words? Oh no. I powered on. I have other sections where in capital letters I've written: DESCRIBE BUILDING or HAVE SOMETHING HAPPEN. I thought this was going to be my masterpiece. Instead it's a jumble of words with plotholes and incomplete characters. Thankfully, there are hidden gems. I just have to root them out.
So basically my second draft is rewriting my first. I work on structure, create readable paragraphs and fill in the gaps. It's HARD WORK. At times, there are splurges of magic as I think, 'Aha - I've solved a plot hole,' or I find a section from my first draft that is actually Booker Prize winning.
And now I am about to embark on my third draft. I have a fizz of excitement because I love this stage. This is when I make sure that my characters sound authentic and I've given them enough purpose. This is when I make sure there's enough conflict in each scene, that the world building is clear and that I've captured the right mood. This is when I make sure that the story in my head is being conveyed fully on paper.
I just hope I worked hard enough on draft two, and that I don't get that crushing sense of doom as I realise the second draft isn't quite as good as I thought it was...
Tamsin Cooke
Author of The Scarlet Files Series and Stunt Double Series
Website: tamsincooke.co.uk
Twitter: @TamsinCooke1
Twitter: @TamsinCooke1
