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5/1/25: Why is the word “May” ringing in my ears? Oh, yeah. I remember. That’s the month when I said I’d finish the second draft of the novel.

Will I? Right now, I feel on-track. I have 8 scenes to revise. I’ll take care of two tomorrow. I should be able to get to two of the other four on Saturday 5/3. Perhaps, if the muses are kind, I’ll get all 4 done.

            Then I have four weeks to knock out the rest of the novel. Act III. Using my awesome powers of mathematics (?), I will share this bit of logic with you. As of this moment, I have 274 pages written. We will estimate that Acts I and II end at page 275. Therefore, according to Save the Cat! I have 25% to go. If 275 is 75% of X, then (according to Online-calculator.org), 100% of my novel is 367 pages. 25% of that is 92 more pages.

            Hmmph.

            When I think of the stories I have to tell in Act III, however, it seems more likely that I have another 275 pages to go. Characters whom I need to introduce and flesh out: Lucy and her spouse, who is female and named Char for now, but I’ll be changing that soon. John Skenandoah, who I’ve popped in and out of this book many times now. And M. I have a hell of a lot to say about him. I’ve mentioned him since the beginning of the book. Now I need to make him come alive.

            If you’re following me on my website (diaryofanoptimisticwriter.org), you know that I wrote last Tuesday’s entry in a state of euphoria. I’d just finished a tough scene, key to the novel, 4000 words in length. How am I feeling now? I revised two scenes extensively today. Both were written from the POV of characters other than Kelsey. How did I do? I’m happy that I revised them and happy with the work I did; however, both need more work. Some of what they need I can’t provide until Act III is “done” (this draft, anyway). So, I’m feeling a real mix of emotions. Overall, I’m feeling that this draft is better than any of the drafts when RIVERS RISE was TWO ROADS. But it has quite the ways to go before everything is linked together, all the fat is cut, and it reads like a thriller.

            I’ll get there.

            I’ll finish draft 2 by June. Then I’ll do another draft or two. Rather than going through the book page by page, I’ll employ Tiffany Yates Martin’s triage method of editing. Shore up that which sags worst first. Read and skim again; repeat. Once I feel good about the novel, I’ll let others read it and see what they see.

            How will I know I feel good about it? It’ll be half logic, half gut.

            Long term goal still stands. Get it to a developmental editor by September 1^st.

            Stay with me this summer! Lots of gnashing of teeth, and plenty of me questioning who is crazier, me or my beta readers?