What a first edit of a first draft looks like
Spoiler alert. If you haven’t read A Warrior’s Knowledge, don’t read any further. This is the first page of the prologue from Book 3, tentatively titled A Warrior’s Penance. And this is what the edit of the first draft looks like.
When I was younger there were writers who implied that they would write a book, and basically, all it would take would be some tweaking of their first draft, and BOOM! They were ready to publish. Then I’d read my work and feel completely inadequate given the crappy quality my own first drafts. Later, I discovered that those authors who claimed to only do a few revisions were likely lying. Don’t know why, but I never forgot that feeling of incompetence they managed to inspire in a younger me. So I thought I’d post something more typical of my work, and hopefully if there’s anyone out there thinking they can’t write worth a lick because their first drafts aren’t up to snuff, this will ease your mind. Notice all the red.
It’s hard work writing a book so it resembles the story in my head.
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If you want an entertaining look at what other writers experience with their publishers, read Piers Anthony’s “Buy What of Earth?” Highly annotated with his publisher’s comments and his own responses.
Edit: should be Piers Anthony’s “But What of Earth?”
Thanks, John. I’ll have to check that one out.
Davis