The WIP is Done.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Progress

At the end of Friday, 11th August, I posted here on the progress of the WIP. At that stage, the book was on chapter 30 and the word count was 71,521. Yesterday I completed the WIP with chapter 33 and a total of 80,799 words.


Now I need to do some detailed research for events that happened worldwide during the lives of the protagonists. Some will come from a hefty tome I have on my desk ‘Chronicle of the 20th Century’ and some will be discovered through the wonderful speed of the internet search.
After those events have been incorporated, and some may affect the story depending on how the protagonists respond to them, I’ll be inserting location descriptions and maybe a few clues regarding dress and appearance, although that will be necessary for a only a few instances as I prefer my readers to imagine the characters for themselves. The first draft is entirely story, so I avoid complicating it with small details, as that way I can get the essence of the story down quite quickly.


Once I’ve added those details, I’ll be examining the text for language and word use, looking for repetitions, typos, inconsistencies, non-sequiturs, and other grammatical stumbling blocks before I look for opportunities to add a little poetry to the narrative.


Only then will the MS go to my beta readers for comment. I’ll act on their remarks as I see the need. And then the book will go to the publisher so he can give it to his editors for their professional input, which may involve a certain amount of textual fisticuffs!


I’ll keep you informed here on the blog as the work progresses. And, at some stage, I’ll reveal the book title, the blurb, and then the cover. Watch this space.

11 thoughts on “The WIP is Done.”

  1. Well done Stuart. I actually prefer the redrafting/editing process to the tortuous pulling teeth of getting the first draft down. My WIP is at that point: 1st draft finished, and waiting for me to have the time/brain space to start on the redrafting. Good luck with yours

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      1. It’s going OK, having just moved to Aberdeenshire and relying on mobile hotspot at the moment, I’m wrestling with getting Amazon author page, goodreads author page set up and me website updated. Getting there…

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        1. Moving is always such a disruption. But you’ll soon be back to ‘normal’ again, whatever that might be! Those admin jobs are time consuming, but worth the effort to get your name out there. Good luck!

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