First To Final Draft: The Evolution Of My Novel

The first draft is always the worst. And it’s the hardest draft to write. 

The evolution of a novel is the same as the evolution of any product. You start with an idea and you turn it into the best possible physical version you can.

But will the product work? No. Not the first time around.

A lot of places call the first product they make, the prototype. 

They make one, they see where their skills fall short and they try to upskill and fix what is not working. When building a rocket, it’s unlikely they’ll use fuel to start. In the movie October Sky, a group of teenagers build a rocket. 

The first one doesn’t launch properly. They created the design but they didn’t have the right equipment or skills. They noted all the areas they needed to fix and how they would go about that - including who they knew that had more knowledge than them. Over time they played around with different techniques, different ‘wings’ (I don’t know what it’s called), different sized top bits and bottom bits…

Writing and editing a book is no different. 

We have to create the prototype. See what works and what doesn’t. We might take a class or hire an editor. We might play around with the ending, change something about the characters, change up some twists and turns. We play around with it until it reaches the desired goal.

Just like building a rocket.

My first draft was nothing like the final draft. 

The blurb of my upcoming novel in its final draft era:

This is my debut fiction novel, a literary novel in a world where only women exist. The good and the bad, the old and the young, the sick and the strong. They're all there and they're all women.

Jordi, a young woman navigating the world in her early 20s, has been sucked into the life of video games and escaping responsibility. Her great-aunt, who relies heavily on Jordi for her day-to-day care, feels the impact of Jordi’s lack of attachment to reality. When an act takes place that turns both their worlds upside down, Jordi must navigate the world of inter-dependance, self-care and the love of her friends - one of whom is suffering from the energy zapping realities of long-covid and needs more care than she is able to give. Loyalties are tested, composers are cracked, and betrayals grow as the tug between selfishness and selflessness are tested.

In the first draft, most of the characters are men. I actually wrote Jordi and Faith as men, once I finished the first draft I changed all the he’s to she’s.

I did this on purpose, to challenge any pre-conceived ideas about female characters. And I was surprised to discover that I had many. 

I felt female characters wouldn’t get addicted to video games - of course they can.

I felt female characters wouldn’t be able to pass blame and ignore their responsibilities - of course they can. 

A body builder would be the first thought that came to mind for a female character - but I know female body builders in real life. 

I wanted to challenge my own beliefs and those of readers. 

But my first draft was still far from perfect. Looking back, it was only 30 pages long. The narrative jumped around without any central conflict. The characters' choices didn’t feel real, and they all sounded the same. 

I had five main characters - Barbara not being one. 

I hope you agree, they way it is currently written is far more enjoyable than what it could’ve been.

Storylines were all over the place. The ending didn’t make sense. There was no ‘flip-the-script-page.’ No interesting middle, no cliff hangers. Nothing to grip the reader. Just an incoherent thought dump. 

That was back in 2019. 

Six years later and my novel will be published on Oct 30th.