inverarity (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inverarity) wrote2019-07-07 05:05 pm
inverarity) wrote2019-07-07 05:05 pm
Entry tags:
AQATWA: The Not Quite Done Done But Sort of Final Draft
I mentioned there were two or three threads in the manuscript that still needed to be properly tied, woven, and/or unraveled.
Those are done. I just gave my betas the theoretical final draft.
"Theoretical," because there is a bunch of new material that needs eyes on it, and no doubt will call for more revision. But, I feel like I've gotten to a satisfactory place with the general arc of the story and all subplots, and the structure as a whole. It's not impossible that further revision will result in additional removal, rearrangement, and/or insertion of chapters at this point, but I hope not, barring forceful recommendations from my betas.
(My betas don't usually make "forceful" recommendations. But they like or dislike things with varying degrees of forcefulness.)
I have mixed feelings about the size of this book. I've mentioned before how all my previous drafts were substantially reduced in size during editing. That really didn't happen with AQATWA. There were definitely some chunks that got cut (multiple chapters!). But new material more than made up for that. I haven't made every cut that was recommended, and there are definitely subplots that would be cut by a professional editor, if this were a published novel, because published novels don't get to be 1000 pages unless your name is Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson.
So, is AQATWA bloated? Has Inverarity "stopped listening to his editors"? I hope not, but it's up to y'all to judge.
What does it look like now?
59 chapters, 287,900 words. The usual estimate for published novels is 250-300 words per page, so AQATWA would be about 960-1150 pages if it were a paperback. :O
Maybe it will still be trimmed a bit before the done-done-actually-final draft. We'll see.
But to celebrate kinda sorta almost finishing, here's a word cloud based on the latest draft.
Those are done. I just gave my betas the theoretical final draft.
"Theoretical," because there is a bunch of new material that needs eyes on it, and no doubt will call for more revision. But, I feel like I've gotten to a satisfactory place with the general arc of the story and all subplots, and the structure as a whole. It's not impossible that further revision will result in additional removal, rearrangement, and/or insertion of chapters at this point, but I hope not, barring forceful recommendations from my betas.
(My betas don't usually make "forceful" recommendations. But they like or dislike things with varying degrees of forcefulness.)
I have mixed feelings about the size of this book. I've mentioned before how all my previous drafts were substantially reduced in size during editing. That really didn't happen with AQATWA. There were definitely some chunks that got cut (multiple chapters!). But new material more than made up for that. I haven't made every cut that was recommended, and there are definitely subplots that would be cut by a professional editor, if this were a published novel, because published novels don't get to be 1000 pages unless your name is Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson.
So, is AQATWA bloated? Has Inverarity "stopped listening to his editors"? I hope not, but it's up to y'all to judge.
What does it look like now?
59 chapters, 287,900 words. The usual estimate for published novels is 250-300 words per page, so AQATWA would be about 960-1150 pages if it were a paperback. :O
Maybe it will still be trimmed a bit before the done-done-actually-final draft. We'll see.
But to celebrate kinda sorta almost finishing, here's a word cloud based on the latest draft.
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