Fiction Book Update: Draft Two Completed

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It’s been two and a half years since I started my fiction book and the second draft is finally complete!

The second draft was all about fixing the story. Thanks to my editor’s feedback, the book finally feels whole. A book with a cohesive, sensical, and fantastical narrative. There’s still a long way to go, but my sweet girlfriend gave me a celebratory offering for achieving this milestone.

Feeling like I graduated forth grade.
A close-up of the celebratory cake carton

What It’s Taken

Going from Draft 1 to Draft 2 was all about crafting a cohesive story.

Along the way, I crafted a magic system, created new cultures, gave nameless characters names, and much more. My last blog post speaks a bit more on that.

I also needed to cut a lot of words…

In fact, I’ve kept a running document of all the excess scenes and paragraphs chopped from the book since I started writing. In total, I’ve cut 53K words–nearly an entire book’s worth of words eliminated over the course of two years.

words cut from the book

Because of these cuts, I worried the second draft might be too short, but it turns out the length went from 78k words to nearly 90k words–the book actually turned out longer!

total word count

There’s still time for that to change, but I’m glad to know it’s a sizable book, slightly longer than my previous books.

Now, time to discuss what’s next…

The Third Draft

There’s still many more changes that need to occur.

While the second draft was focused on story, the third draft will be focused on character and setting. Specifically:

  • Addressing my editor’s remaining in-line comments
  • Creating character sheets to add depth and maintain consistency
  • Drawing a crude map to get a visual sense of the world
  • Generally, reviewing the entire book with character development and setting in mind.

My goal is to write this draft in two to three months, with a due date of August 15.

Then what?

You guessed it, a fourth draft. I’ll hire an editor to suggest changes on prose, style, flow… the words themselves. An investment which makes the book much cleaner.

Eventually, I’ll also hire a book cover designer, interior designer, and start thinking about marketing efforts.

Want to Get Involved?

I’m currently looking for alpha readers, especially those interested in Adventure Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, and Sword & Sorcery (or in this case, Samurai & Sorcery). Send me an email if you’re interested.

Until then, you can join the book launch list below where I’ll notify you when the book is ready.

Thanks for following along and stay tuned for updates!

Best,
David

This blogpost is part V in an ongoing series of AuthorLog Book Updates:

I. I Started Writing a Fiction Book (Dec 2023)
II. The Story of my Upcoming Fiction Book (Aug 2025)
III. The Legend of Taro (Dec 2025)
IV. Halfway There? (Feb 2026)
V. Draft Two Completed (June 2026)

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