Week 43 - Chic(ken) Lit

This week I have written a chapter of my book.

Nothing out of the ordinary there, except for one thing: I already had all my chapters completed and have spent the last five weeks editing and refining my second draft.

During this process it became clear that the book was missing a certain something. At first it was difficult to pin down the missing ingredient; a bit like when you fancy some fried chicken, there’s no Colonel Sanders emporium to hand, so you end up in one of those “southern fried chicken” places. It should taste the same, but it doesn’t; and besides, even the flies look nervous.

And so it was with my novel. Finally I realised that there needed to be an extra scene to bridge some action and act as a conduit for my plot to travel down.

So I started to write the scene…and write…and write. Before you could say, “Of course I’ll go large on the three piece meal,” I had written a long chapter. What’s more, it was great to get back to creating. The editing process is fine in its own way, but there’s nothing like creating something from scratch. It was fun to return to my characters and send them in just one more direction.

Now that’s done – I have reached the end of my second draft. At the end of the weekend, I will be printing it out and then placing it in my bottom drawer for ten days before I embark on the final draft.

Another part of my 52-week journey is over and the final one is about to begin. But before the work of the final draft, there are a few days to enjoy the completion of my second draft. I just need to decide how to celebrate.

Anyone for a Bargain Bucket?