#13: Third Draft's the Charm
Book News: ASHFIRE KING Paperback is out this month!
Before I launch into my writing update, I’d be remiss not to mention that the paperback of The Ashfire King is out this month on Feb 17! I’m delighted this edition has a cover to match Book 1’s paperback. Don’t they look stunning together?
It’s especially fun to see a certain dilapidated city depicted on the cover… (if you know, you know!). If you’ve been waiting to get a matching edition for the shelf, the paperback is still up for pre-order.
Writer’s Corner: Draft 3, AKA “The Logic Draft”
After pausing for 3 months while my editor had this draft, I’m excited to finally be returning to Sandsea Book #3 this week! Because I’ve been working on two other projects while I wait for these notes, I’m spending this first week of February easing back into the world before I jump into what I call my “Logic Draft.”
Part of this prep work involves rereading—not just my current draft, but all the books in the series, to make sure no details fall through the cracks during the last book. To avoid any skimming I might do while reading my own writing, I’ll be listening to the audiobooks of Stardust & Ashfire while I reverse outline my current Book 3 draft.
What are reverse outlines? Well, they basically allow me to step back and see, at a glance, the shape of my book and where I can cut and reorganize. (If you’re curious, I wrote a whole blog post about how I create reverse outlines here!) For this latest draft, as I mentioned, I’ll be looking to cement logic, which means asking questions like: How do I simplify the magic in this scene so it’s not confusing? How do the characters respond to [x] given the situation? and Which plot decision makes the most sense here?
If my first draft is the Content Draft where I’m working to figure out the overall scope of the story, and the second draft is the Structure Draft where I start organizing scenes on a timeline, then this is the draft where I iron out plot details. Because I’m an overwriter, I also do a lot of condensing and simplifying, and a reverse outline helps me home in on what I can expand. This is traditionally an intensive edit for me, but having gotten to this stage with Book 3 is very exciting. Not only is an end in sight, but The End of the series is on the horizon!! This is a finale I’ve been working toward for a long time, and I am so excited to share more about it this year :)
Out-of-Context Mayhem
A section in which I share a screenshot related to my work-in-progress, completely out of context 👍
Book Teaser: Sandsea Book #3
(Names not included to avoid spoilers!)
“This place feels…” She searched for the right word.
“Haunted?” he offered.
She sighed. “Is it marid magic?”
He hummed, thoughtful, as she carefully felt her way up a sharp incline. “Perhaps some would call it magic. But memories carry their own weight.”
Music Corner: A Song from the Sandsea Playlist
A song from my Work-in-Progress Playlist
(Is this song on the playlist entirely so I can play this chorus every time Mazen survives some perilous situation? Yes. Yes, it is.)
Stayin Alive by The Bee Gees
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me
I’m stayin’ alive
Outro: Hardcover VS. Paperback
With the paperback of Ashfire soon to be released, I thought it’d be fun to line up the covers to see the matching motifs at a glance!
While a bit more fun to spot the differences in-person (there is something especially satisfying about seeing how floppy these paperbacks are…), I love seeing the way these two contrast together. Though the Book 3 cover (and title, which I’m so pleased with) are yet to be revealed, you can believe I’m already imagining it stacked up here!
— Chelsea