Chapter two is finished! For now, at least.
After two rounds of four to five hours of revision work, it was ready to give to my trusty ‘Proofreader #1’. Another couple of hours of rough editing and it is now filed away, with chapter 1, to let it mull over in my subconscious until the rest of the manuscript is finished – and then deal with any rewrites that will follow.
It was about time to start thinking about the size of the manuscript – whether to write a full blown epic or a basic novella. It seems an average for fantasy/steampunk novels are around 80,000-90,000 words, so that is a good number to aim for – for now.
- Chapter 1: Of Rivals, Surprises and Escapes -approx 2500 words
Favourite passage:
“I think you have something of mine that I accidentally dropped?” The stranger’s green eyes glinted as he smiled back, scrutinising Tillie’s bustle.
“Sir, we have only just met and have not been properly introduced,” she replied curtly. - Chapter 2: Of Silks, Kippers and Secrets – approx 4800 words.
I have battled with the revisions (especially one scene!) since 18th December. Dilemma #1: how much background reveal is enough/too much?
Favourite passage:
The smell of smoked kippers greeted Tillie as she entered the dining room. The buffet boasted a full range of delights, many of which were her favourites: bacon, fried mushrooms, eggs, toast and jam. Kippers were not high on her list. - Chapter 3: The Inventor, The Department and Curiosities. First draft: 2100 words so far. Dilemma #2: Is it time for some destruction and mayhem?
- Chapter ?: Of Trains, Dirigibles and Steamships. – First draft: 2100 words so far (incomplete)
This was the first snippet to be written of this manuscript.
This year is all about finishing what I have started. I have a goal of finishing the manuscript to a point where it can be proofread and ready for editing by October. I hope this is reasonable. I would love to go into November starting on a new project and am seriously considering doing NaNoWriMo this year (if I can keep my stress levels down). Now I have publicly said this, I am more likely not to give up!
So far I have about 7000 words revised, another 4200 words at the first draft stage. I decided that I will keep a running total (for those into numbers), as this would be a good incentive to keep me forging ahead. (the old ‘if I say it, I have to do it‘ thing).
Manuscript Word Progress: – 11 200 /85 000 – (Revised: 7000/1st Draft:4200)
For those who like pretty graphs:
Total Words:
Revised Words:
At 1st Draft only: