Hi friends,
I did it! Ten days ago, I finished the first draft of the novel I started writing during NaNoWriMo. 73,000 not-shitty words that I’m actually excited to revisit.
I wanted the writing of this book to be simple, if not easy, and I believe I achieved that simplicity and found a process I can use going forward. I learned somewhere a long time ago that you only need three drafts for a book, each with a specific purpose:
- The first draft is to make it exist.
- The second draft is to help it make sense.
- The third draft is to make it pretty.
Since I took the time to create an outline, my first draft not only makes the book exist, but mostly makes sense as well. In my second draft, which I hope to start in January, I’ll be looking at the obvious descriptions I’m missing—I almost always forget to note what someone looks like, what they’re wearing, or what season it is. My goal in the second draft is to make sure all the information I need is already contained in the scene. Then the third draft, which is my favorite part of the process, is when I roll up my sleeves, go into each individual scene, and make every sentence sing. Since I don’t write a shitty first draft, this is the point at which I’m perfecting, not fixing.
Obviously every writer has a different process, most of which can only be discovered through a lot of writing. For me, writing this book (which is very much outside of my comfort zone) has been the most fun I’ve ever had writing a novel, so I’m certainly keen to repeat the experience.
And yes, I know I can’t keep talking about books without giving you an update on the publishing side of things. I write cross-cultural fiction, with narratives that are often split between India and the UK. While I have both brown and white characters, the Indian characters and perspectives are centered. Readers get very excited when I tell them this, many publishers have worried about placement—is it an India book, a British book, an immigrant book, or something else? (Something else.) One of the rejections to my last novel actually reads: “I felt that it fell somewhere between women’s fiction and general fiction but ended up not really being either, so I thought we would have a hard time positioning this.”
Three publishers have already expressed an interest in reading this next novel once I’m finished editing (no pressure!), but I worry I’ll run into the same problem with genre slating. So, yes, I’m seriously considering indie publishing (which I love). Publishers may not (yet) know how to sell cross-cultural fiction—but I do! My entire life is cross-cultural, and my Inbox is filled with emails from globally minded readers who are attracted to my work for exactly that reason. All this to say I haven’t decided yet, and I’m in no rush to. I’m cool with both options—making the book successful is my job, no matter how it’s published—so I’m just grateful I live in a time where I have so many avenues available to me. I always bet on myself and champion my own work, regardless of how anyone else feels about it, and this time will be no different.
My focus right now is to write the best book I’ve ever written. And once it’s finished, I have no doubt the next step will reveal itself to me.
Oh, and before I go, I wanted to tell you about something fun we’re trying out. We’ve had a lot of interest in Wordling Plus, but rightly, some of you are worried about making a financial commitment without knowing what’s inside.
So we’re offering a 7-day trial for new members!
You’ll get full access to everything inside the membership and, if you like it, stay on. If not, that’s cool, too. Cancellation is super easy, and I’m here to assist you every step of the way. Sign up here.
Cheers,
Natasha