I’m working on the second draft of my fourth novel and I think a good comparison is making a cake and adding another layer. The first draft is the first layer, the foundation of the story. The plot and characters and settings are all there, but it’s not complete. Each time I make a new draft, I’m adding another layer, creating more depth and, I hope, a more detailed and interesting story. I’m also editing for language, flow, sentence structure, scene and chapter transitions, and all of the things that affect the readability of a book.

When I’m writing a first draft, I make lots of notes for the second draft. I type many of them right into the “margin” of the manuscript, using the comments function in Word. The margin notes are about things I don’t want to stop and deal with while I’m writing, because that will interrupt the flow. So I just make a little note to myself for later. A margin note might be about my need to do further research in an area. Or it might be a reminder for me to go back to an earlier part of the book and set the stage for something that’s now unfolding. Many of my margin notes deal with consistency (i.e. “check her eye color from previous chapters” or “make sure this is the same restaurant I used in the beginning”). I’m constantly writing margin notes, which means they do add up. By the time I’m done with the first draft there can be hundreds. And I have to deal with every one of them in my second draft, the second layer of the cake.

Besides the margin notes, I also have pages of more general notes I’ve kept while writing the first draft – i.e., “use the sunglasses again later in the book,” “weave in more cold weather in the beginning,” “add more depth to Molly’s character,” “plant hints along the way about Gordon’s eventual betrayal.” Again, these are all helpful when it comes time to create that second layer, but looking at all of these notes can be intimidating.

That’s why it always seems like a bit of a nightmare when I start a second draft. Exciting, yes, but still a nightmare. I try to remind myself that it’s like any other project. I’ll deal with it page by page, chapter by chapter, and eventually I’ll get it done.

Just in time for the third draft ….