It only took 7 months, but at last: I’ve got a readable draft of the first Myth-Keepers book. Huzzah!

As mentioned in my writing update from the beginning of the year, I revised The Myth-Keepers in an unusual way: I started at the end. I rewrote the third act of the novel, which amounted to 25,000 words (about 100 pages in a WordDoc) of rewritten material. A handful of the “rewrite” did come from revising and including a couple of scenes or moments from the original draft, changed to fit the new flow of events. Once I finished the new third act, I then applied some edits I had made on a hardcopy of the draft to the first few chapters, essentially polishing up the first act of the novel. That then left me with the biggest problem: fixing the saggy, mushy, muddy middle.

I started on revising the second act in March and only just finished a couple weeks ago in June. It took so long because I felt unsure how to fix it all to make it flow well and prevent the story from getting bloated by fluff or scenes that no longer mattered. It was also hard to find the perfect intersection of time and energy, particularly as I finished up my Spring semester of grad schoolwork. But little by little, I chipped away at the revisions, which included writing new scenes, rearranging other ones, and cutting a couple of scenes I liked for the sake of cohesion. When I finally connected the polished beginning scenes with the newly written ending in June, I then went back and read through the whole novel to make sure it still flowed decently, fix any lingering inconsistencies left by the butchering of this draft, and add in a couple of scenes that somehow I didn’t remember to add on the first pass.

The final result? The Myth-Keepers Draft 4 (or 3.5, really, but we’ll go with 4) is readable and ready for Beta Readers… whom I have already shared it with. It is 93,000 words, which lengthened the previous draft by a good amount.

Is it a perfect book? Of course not. There are even questions I have about the state of the story and things I am considering majorly changing even still. But I’m stopping myself from going too crazy, because some of the things I think I might need to change may not be big issues. I really need reader feedback first to gauge what is actually working versus what is not working so much. Hence, the Beta Readers.

So, while I wait for the Beta Readers, I am still working on other things. Blog content, for one, since I’d like to get my Fall series done or mostly done before the semester starts again. I am also working on writing the first draft of Book 3 for The Myth-Keepers. I debated over whether I should revise Book 2 first, as Book 2 is still in rough draft form and needs some major changes, but after spending so many months in revisions, I need a break from that task. And, in some ways, writing Book 3 will give me a clearer picture of the end point I’m aiming for with some of the plotlines that need changes in Book 2, kind of like my strategy for revising Book 1: begin with the end, then work backwards. The process of writing Book 3 has also already sparked some additional ideas for potential changes in future books in the series, so it’s been productive on that front. There are a lot of planned scenes in Book 3 I’m really looking forward to writing as well, so I want to capitalize on the burst of inspiration I’m feeling for the story right now. Once I finish writing Book 3, well, who knows what will be next?

Fiction writing is in a weird place these days. I’m thankful for consistency, but if I’m being honest, I don’t feel like I have a lot of pressing direction in terms of publication / sharing the story. Part of that stems from some personal realizations; I have struggled of late to be content where I’m at in life and not meeting certain “benchmarks” of adulthood that I’ve somehow connected a “right age” to. My whole life as an author has been one of trying to chase publication as fast as possible, and I think for the first time, I’m becoming okay with just enjoying the writing process and not feeling the need to rush. Contrasted with the goals and deadlines of PhD work, I think that’s just what I need right now. Plus, I love this story so much that I want to give it the time to grow into what it needs to be. It’s been with me—in much different forms and variations—for nearly two decades; what’s one decade more, if The Myth-Keepers needs it?

All in all, I feel in a good spot writing-wise, despite the uncertainty. This summer has been a bit of fresh air for me; I’m working a remote part-time teaching job that’s given me some reprieve from the grad school grind. I’ve been able to read more books, pursue some academic interests in medieval literature that I’ve not had time to explore while taking classes, learn Latin and Old English, play a little piano almost every day, and work on my writing. The slower pace mixed with these intentional activities has been a catalyst for more brainstorming for The Myth-Keepers, too. It’s been a great season, and I’m looking forward to continuing to write this series going into the Fall.