I want to do a quick update on my Leaving You For Mars journey, now that I’ve finished my FIRST FULL DRAFT. This is the first novel I’ve written, so just getting here has been a big accomplishment.
A few quick takeaways:
Draft 1 is 134,652 words long (474 pages in the PDF I’ll be printing out).
Draft 1 took a year and a half for me to write (thanks pandemic!)
I have four main character perspectives – three live in LA and one lives in New York City.
Draft 1 is messier than I anticipated. There are a ton of blank spaces, things I still want to go back and add, and even three alternate versions of one scene, which I’ll probably scrap and rewrite anyway.
A snapshot of my thoughts on LYFM Draft 1:
Just a peek into my story and writing habits so far.
What would I do if the world was ending?
If I had 10 years to live, like my characters do, I’d want to travel abroad and spend every last cent I had. But climate change disasters (i.e. fires, hurricanes, etc) would probably kill me faster if I was traveling all over.
If I had the choice I would NOT want to go to Mars. Space is scarier than natural disasters IMHO.
My writing style
I’m not entirely sure what my style is yet. I’ve been over-writing everything to try and see the scene clearly in my head, but I am going to rewrite shorter. I tend to spend more time on actual dialogue and the beats of conversation over scene description. I want to get better at that and personalizing my character’s body language and character traits to make them feel more real – so I’ve got that skill to look forward to!
Favorite character quality so far
I am loving Micah’s character (the morally conflicted suit designer) right now because he is so complicated. I tend to think of him as something of a genius, but he’s very sociable and good with people too. He isn’t as savvy about his own feelings and what really drives him (he thinks it’s his relationships and family – SPOILER: It’s not). I love that he’s so smart and hardworking but also clueless when it comes to himself.
Favorite scene so far
Some of my favorite scenes to write have been with Maisie (the bored housewife). There is one chapter where she and her husband are trying to rekindle her relationship and he brings a puppy home. They become playful with the dog and Maisie sees joy on his face like she hasn’t seen in a long time. It’s a brief happy moment in a lot of darker relationship flaws, but I think it helps us understand the love they had that they’ve left behind.
Favorite place to write
My favorite writing spots are local coffee shops. If you’re in Austin, you’d probably find me most often at The Hive, Trianon, Barley Bean, or Opa! I love to find little tables in the corner of the room or outside where I can subtly watch other people come and go. I find it calming.
What I drink when writing
Coffee. Any sort of coffee. Iced oat lattes are my go-to, but I’ve been getting into cafe au laits lately.
My muse
Nature. And coffee. I feel most creative on a shady patio with a coffee and a pastry next to me.
My writing routine
I write most days with Paperbacks & Co. with 15-minute sprints. My writing buddies are supportive and inspirational. We all have important words to share and a lovely space to share them with one another.
What am I doing now?
My next steps are to print this baby out and read ALLLL the way through before messing with it. I’ll make notes (on the 474-pg printout) and then go back to the storyboard and clean it up. And hopefully with that I’ll have something of a blueprint for how I want Draft 2 edits to go.
Editing is intimidating. It’s messy and time-consuming. But that’s also where the most magic happens, so I’m looking forward to seeing some of those pieces shift into place.
Until then, I’m doing some editing on short stories and poetry I’ve put off forever and will hopefully have some good stuff to share in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
Love, Nova
