After what has seemed like an eternity, I've finished the first draft of Fight Or Flight! I was so excited yesterday to type those grand last words - The End. Those of you who write know there is little more satisfying than finishing a novel.
Although it took a while, it really came together in the last two or so months. As I've said before, Fight Or Flight is essentially three books in one. The first act, about a third of the book, took nearly five months. I was encumbered by work and moving away from Hawaii, plus it was always going to be the hardest part since I needed to describe a war and the building of a worldwide resistance network. That act came out to just over 80,000 words. However, the next two acts were about 145,000 words combined, and I did that in just under ten weeks. So yeah, I feel really good about what I accomplished.
Further, I felt better about what I was writing as I went along. I won't pick up Fight Or Flight again for another year at least. I'll need that much time to decompress and look at it again with fresh eyes. Even so, I feel that the first act is going to be the one that will require the most revision. Act Two was more coherent, and it all seemed to flow in Act Three. Of course, I may pick it up 12-18 months from now and say that my thoughts were exactly reversed. You never can tell with the editing process.
Completing this story has helped grant me closure on a story idea that has been playing through my head for the past few years. To get ready, I went back and re-read Homecoming to make sure the stories lined up(Fight or Flight is Homecoming's prequel). After knowing what the story was but not feeling great about my first take on it, I was surprised by it on my next reading. The stuff I needed to cover in this novel seemed to leap out of the page. Also, the Homecoming story was more coherent than I remembered. That's not to say some revision won't be required, but it's good to know that it basically makes sense.
Of course, Fight Or Flight won't be out for about four years. I have several other stories that need to be published first. Even so, both this and Homecoming have set up a universe I can return to for more stories. That's the beauty of an epic novel - it lends itself to so many more webs that can be spun. Maybe I'll get another itch regarding its universe. For now, however, I'm content to just sit back and let that itch rest in the back of my mind - I'll take a little bit to bask in the pride of my accomplishment.
And then I'll get on to writing the next story...
Although it took a while, it really came together in the last two or so months. As I've said before, Fight Or Flight is essentially three books in one. The first act, about a third of the book, took nearly five months. I was encumbered by work and moving away from Hawaii, plus it was always going to be the hardest part since I needed to describe a war and the building of a worldwide resistance network. That act came out to just over 80,000 words. However, the next two acts were about 145,000 words combined, and I did that in just under ten weeks. So yeah, I feel really good about what I accomplished.
Further, I felt better about what I was writing as I went along. I won't pick up Fight Or Flight again for another year at least. I'll need that much time to decompress and look at it again with fresh eyes. Even so, I feel that the first act is going to be the one that will require the most revision. Act Two was more coherent, and it all seemed to flow in Act Three. Of course, I may pick it up 12-18 months from now and say that my thoughts were exactly reversed. You never can tell with the editing process.
Completing this story has helped grant me closure on a story idea that has been playing through my head for the past few years. To get ready, I went back and re-read Homecoming to make sure the stories lined up(Fight or Flight is Homecoming's prequel). After knowing what the story was but not feeling great about my first take on it, I was surprised by it on my next reading. The stuff I needed to cover in this novel seemed to leap out of the page. Also, the Homecoming story was more coherent than I remembered. That's not to say some revision won't be required, but it's good to know that it basically makes sense.
Of course, Fight Or Flight won't be out for about four years. I have several other stories that need to be published first. Even so, both this and Homecoming have set up a universe I can return to for more stories. That's the beauty of an epic novel - it lends itself to so many more webs that can be spun. Maybe I'll get another itch regarding its universe. For now, however, I'm content to just sit back and let that itch rest in the back of my mind - I'll take a little bit to bask in the pride of my accomplishment.
And then I'll get on to writing the next story...
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