Two updates in one this time.
I began writing the sequel to Hope’s Peak on the 31st of May. I finished the first draft on the 15th of July.
I am heading out to Los Angeles the middle of August for [CLASSIFIED] Thomas & Mercer business, and am hoping to complete the second draft of the sequel by then so that it can be sent to a few trusted readers for their feedback while I’m away.
It’s taking time to rewrite/revise, as I want to have the sequel be the very best it can be. At most I would say that I am managing to rework around 10 pages a day. Sometimes less. When you write a first draft, you’re really laying out the groundwork for what you will build in the second draft. So if, in this case, the foundations are there, I’m now laying the bricks.
Speaking for myself, I find the first draft the most difficult. The rest is a joy, to be honest. Every stage of a novel – hard copy edit, reader feedback, each and every edit copy-edit – is all in service of making it as good as it can possibly be. It can only get better with each pass, and I thoroughly enjoy the process. My favourite part is the hard copy edit. Printing the novel and going through it the old-fashioned way, with a red pen, is just something you can’t replace as a part of the process. You always catch something you wouldn’t have on a computer screen.
Hope’s Peak is now up for pre-order, and I’ve seen an early version of the paperback cover (which is amazing!). There should be word on ARC’s and the rest soon. And hopefully I’ll be able to tell you what all this [CLASSIFIED] Thomas & Mercer stuff is about…….
Tony Healey 