The Gods in Haven: First Draft Complete

Faster than expected, that's the first draft of part five of The Gods in Haven complete – and hence the entire first draft. That was rather satisfying, even if I have got behind with the housework to get it done. It was worth it!

Unlike the other parts, each chapter has scenes from both Chandra's and Anjuna's points of view, usually with them together. It made sense to tell it that way, as they both had unique perspectives on events.

I ended up with one more chapter than planned, which was no great surprise, except I added it where I wasn't expecting. I'd imagined just one chapter after the grand finale. Then I realised I had to not only deal with the immediate aftermath of events but also the longer-term consequences. That wrapped things up nicely, and also accidentally set up a sequel if I ever feel like writing one. Not in my plans at present.

Part five, now called Winds of Change, ended up at 21,700 words, spread over five chapters, all of which were renamed:

• Prior Knowledge

• The God Squad

• Prior Engagement

• Post Prior

• Past and Future

  
  

Overall, the first draft of the novel is 102,000 words long. That feels about right, given the scope of the story.

So what's next? Well, I usually keep the scope of the second draft fairly limited. I've already got a list of the character tweaks to make, particularly in the early chapters for consistency. The character of Alton started too confident, for example. I've also got chapter-by-chapter notes of things to review and improve. I'll complete the planning tomorrow.

The big changes always come in the third draft once I've received reader/editorial feedback. That's where the fun starts.

I'm not sure how long this second draft will take. It should be less than a month, but it won't always be my primary activity. That depends partly on the weather!

First, housework. I'll be back when the second draft is done.