WAAAAAAH I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!

I knew I was coming close to ending the first draft of The Name and the Key, but I didn’t anticipate finishing it this morning. I feel strange–there’s a huge weight off my shoulders, but…I also want to keep working!

I drafted the book without using a spelling or grammar checker because it just kept marking my unique fantasy names and words wrong, on top of marking off correct grammar and spelling. I got so annoyed, I shut it off, and that actually helped me draft faster, I think.

I completed the draft at 65,918 words, then after correcting spelling issues, it’s at 65,920 words. For me, this is a very short book. I knew the novel was going to be on the shorter side because I’d cut so much of the fat from the thesis version of the book, and I kept hitting the major sequences and beats really quickly.

I remember panicking to my editor at Oliver Heber Books and she assured me the length would be fine. I also researched, and for a YA novel, it’s acceptable, although fantasies in the YA category tend to be longer. My original word count goal for the book was 80,000, so maybe you can see why I’m a little stunned at the final numbers.

People (not everyone) thought Son of the Siren‘s pacing was fast (a reviewer even said it “gave them a headache,” lol!). I wonder what they’ll think of this first book in the trilogy. To be honest, I’m expecting Books Two and Three to move in a similar way–short and fast. That might not be a reader’s cup of tea.

I have two beta readers secured (that’s all I can afford on my little adjunct salary) and they’ll be getting the manuscript soon to look over. I signed one contract yesterday morning, and the next will probably be on my next payday so I can put a down payment on it and get the reading process started.

It’s not a perfect draft by any means. When I started running out of time, I really zoomed through it, so it’s probably one of my messiest drafts, ever. I’m going to ask my beta readers to look for continuity errors, to check if the book is “romantasy” enough, and to examine specific scenes with Lily and the demon Aineiron. Those scenes don’t quite sit well with me because I think the resolution might be too easy/the magic not clear enough. Other than that, I think the book is in pretty good shape.

I want to jump into Andresh’s book (Book Two – The Step and the Walk) but I know that I should rest a little. Plus, I have 9,000 things to grade. So as much as I want to start writing Andresh’s journal, I have to come back down to earth and work on teaching. I hope that I can find a balance between that and writing, though…because all I want to do is write.

Anyway, I’m so happy to share this milestone with you. Thank you for your support.