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Draft 2: Another Milestone

Cornflowers and grassesEarlier this month, I reached another milestone when I finished the second draft of my current novel. Though it is hard to have a clear perspective on it and I had a brief, miserable spell when I was convinced my novel was horrible, these days I’m really happy about how it’s coming together. I’m deep into the third draft now, and I’m completely immersed.

What I find most satisfying is the way a given scene keeps evolving. When I revise a scene, I’m making it the best that I possibly can, with the most natural dialogue, the tightest pacing, the most telling setting details, the right mental twists of the characters and whatnot. Then the next time I go through the same scene, it’s as if I’ve grown new eyes. I can see clearly what isn’t working and what still needs to be finessed or dropped entirely or added. Though the scene on the page is the medium I’m working in, I’m also feeling my own mind develop. It’s such a curious, intricate process.

I also reached the point where I was ready to send a draft of this novel to my agent, so we had a nice chat on the phone and I sent it along to him. This is a gutsy move for me. My fingers are crossed that he’ll find it promising. In the meantime, I keep revising, and my novel keeps revising me.

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Caragh's Latest Favorite Reads

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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