I FINISHED DRAFT #2 OF BOOK ONE!

I finally finished writing/editing draft two of TCW book one! I also think I found the title on the very last day of editing/rewriting, which was July 27, 2025. I have gone 2.5 years without having a title, and now I suddenly have a title that I absolutely love and that fits the story - not only for book 1, but also for book 2. 

Currently the draft is sitting at 121,453 words. It’s a beast, lol. And that’s just book one.

I ordered eight personal-use print copies from Barnes & Noble and learned how to format a book (which was actually very fun). I have seven beta readers, and to say that I am nervous to hear what they think is an understatement. There’s a part of me that worries they’re going to tear apart something that I’ve worked for the past 2.5 years to build, but if this book is something that I want to release into the world, I need to be sure that it’s the absolute best that it can be.

I honestly thought for a while that I might never get to the end of this draft. It just seemed to grow larger and scarier the longer I worked on it. I’m so proud of this draft. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written, and I have big hopes for it. I’m already getting excited to start outlining and drafting book 2, and I’ve already started scribbling down notes onto Post-its.

I’d like to use August for a bit of a break and to refill the creative well, and then I will start plotting and outlining book 2. After that, I’ll be fast drafting book 2 before going back to book 1 with my beta reader’s feedback.

If you want to watch me progressively lose my mind as I near the end of this novel, you can watch my july vlog below!