I just completed the second draft of my first novel. That is to say: I just rewrote my 90,000 word first draft, one word at a time.
It’s a brutal way to get your second draft. Not for the faint-hearted. One of those pieces of writing advice you didn’t want to hear, and when you did wished to God it wasn’t really a thing. But it is, so there you are.
What did I learn? Well, I think it works, at least for me. I actually got a little choked up at the end, but that might’ve been from relief. Could it be better? Absolutely. How so? Not sure, right now I’m too close to see.
But I’m very fortunate to have four people who agreed to be beta readers (five including my beautiful wife). And let me be clear: her comments are gold. Doesn’t pull punches. It’s like sparring with Mike Tyson; you’re going to get hit. Hard.
So on to the next step! Meanwhile, I’ve got other shit to write.